


Blessed are the Forgetful

by Leaves_of_Laurelin



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Break Up, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, F/M, Language, Romance, Set Between F1 and F2, Smut, Troll Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23621728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leaves_of_Laurelin/pseuds/Leaves_of_Laurelin
Summary: Canonverse fic inspired by Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind“Blessed are the forgetful; for they get the better even of their blunders”
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney)
Comments: 95
Kudos: 75





	1. Kristoff

**Author's Note:**

> _How happy is the blameless vestal's lot  
>  The world forgetting by the world forgot  
> Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind  
> Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd._

The midday sun was sitting high and hot in the sky when Kristoff and Sven made their way into a clearing. It was bounded on three sides by willows trees and on the fourth by a clear blue pond with a small waterfall. 

They hadn’t planned on stopping for a break yet, but they’d been walking for a while and the heat of the summer day was starting to take its toll. This seemed as good of a place as any for a rest, so they settled down along the edge of the pond. Kristoff splashed some cool water on his face before laying back in the grass. Sven crouched down with his head dipped low, drinking water from the pond. 

_Why didn’t he do this more often_ , Kristoff thought, closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth of the sun on his skin. 

He’d been planning to get started early that morning on another ice harvesting trip. The skies were clear, which would make for safe travels up into the highest parts of the mountains. And a heat wave had settled itself on the kingdom over the last few days, so he knew he’d get good money for his ice down in the city. 

But as he had been getting ready that morning he felt a heaviness in his limbs. He just...didn’t want to go. He had an itch to just ditch harvesting and spend the day enjoying the nice weather with Sven. Kristoff wasn’t normally an impulsive person, but-

“What do you say we take the day off, buddy?” Kristoff had said to Sven as he unhitched him from the wagon and soon the two set out for a walk. They wandered different mountain paths, at times following streams, heading nowhere in particular. 

_A good decision_ , he decided, as the sounds of the waterfall and the nearby birds chirping were lulling him almost to sleep. 

He was jolted by the sound of Sven grunting and scrambling up to a standing position. Kristoff opened his eyes just in time to see Sven taking off at a run across the clearing. 

“Sven?” Kristoff sat up to try to see what had caught the reindeer’s attention. 

A woman leading a horse by its reins had entered into the clearing through the branches of one of the willow trees. As Sven charged toward them, the horse reared up on its hind legs, letting out a frightened sound and ripping the reins out of the woman’s hands. 

Kristoff leapt to his feet and gave chase. “Sven! Stop!”

“No, no, no, no!” The woman cried as the horse bolted and disappeared out of the sight. 

Sven didn’t continue after the horse, instead coming to a skidding stop in front of the woman. He jumped up and down in place, happily grunting at her. 

“Sven!” Kristoff shouted as he finally caught up. He grabbed hold of Sven’s harness and pulled him back away from the woman. “What has gotten into you? Stop it! I am sorry, I don’t-," Kristoff found his voice catch in his throat as he finally got a close-up look at the woman. She had long auburn red hair, worn in two braids that fell over her shoulders. Her face was covered in freckles, cheeks turning red from the sun. And her eyes were a shade of aqua blue that he’d never seen before. Kristoff gave Sven a few pats on his shoulder and he began to finally settle down, “I don’t,” he cleared his throat, “I don’t know what came over him.”

“No, it’s ok, Kjekk can be a bit skittish,” she said, looking in the direction where her horse had run off, before staring up at Sven with a tentative look on her face. “Wow, I-I’ve never been this close to a reindeer before.” She slowly reached out her arm and Sven affectionately nuzzled his snout into her hand. “You’re a friendly one,” she said with a giggle. The woman then turned her attention to Kristoff, “What. A. Day. _AmIright_? I woke up this morning and just knew it would be another hot day and I thought, what am I going to do? Just stay home wishing it weren’t so hot? No! Right away I thought-, well not right away. After breakfast. After breakfast I thought…”

Kristoff took a deep breath, coming to the dreaded realization that this woman was really, actually going to explain her whole day in excruciating detail to him. 

“...But then we’re going through these willow trees and the branches are so low and they kept whacking me in the face,” she waved her arms about, in case he didn’t know what tree branches were like, “and so I decided to get down off my horse and just walk it through. But then your reindeer came charging up and my horse ran off and,” she took a deep breath, “And now I’m here. Talking to you.”

She stared at him then, seemingly waiting for a response. 

“Ok, well, that was, uh,” he began. “But Sven and I are going to get going so-“

The woman’s eyes widened as her face fell. “Wait, what? You’re just going to leave me here?” 

“I’m not leaving _you_ here,” he scoffed. “I’m just...leaving. You have nothing to do with it.”

“You can’t! I live all the way down in the city and you're the reason I’m stuck so far away without a horse,” she crossed her arms and fixed him with a stare. “You need to take me home.”

He rolled his eyes. Why didn’t he just go ice harvesting today like he was supposed to? This is what he gets for acting on impulse. 

“It’s not _my_ fault. Besides, I don’t take people places,” he turned away from her. “Come on, Sven.” Kristoff went to swing up onto the reindeer’s back, but he bucked away letting out an angry snort. “Hey!” Kristoff went to reach for him once more, but Sven jumped away again, bounding over to stand next to the woman. 

She looked back at Kristoff with a victorious smile, before turning to address Sven with a high-pitched voice. “You’re a sweet reindeer aren’t you? Aren’t you? Yes you are! You’re the sweetest!” She scratched at his chin and Sven grunted happily, enjoying the attention. “Too bad your owner is such a grumpy, grumpy gus,” she made a pouty face as she looked back at Kristoff. 

“Don’t talk to him like that.”

“He seems to like it,” she responded with a grin. 

Kristoff let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. Ok. I’ll take you home. You can ride on Sven,” he waved his arm in the general direction of the city. “Let’s go.”

“Now?”

“Yes. Now.” 

“Oh, no, we’re not going now,” she turned and started walking over to the pond, Sven eagerly following behind. “I just got here.” She sat down on the grass near the edge of the water, Sven taking a seat next to her. 

Definitely should have just gone ice harvesting today. Kristoff crossed his arms and begrudgingly made his way over to join them. The woman gave him a wide smile once he settled down on the grass next to her. Her face was so warm and bright and kind and he couldn’t help it when the corner of his lips twitched up slightly in response. 

“Anna,” she said, extending a hand his way. 

He reached out and shook it, noticing how much smaller it was than his own. “Kristoff.”

“You seem familiar. Have we met before?” she asked, tightening her grip on his hand and squinting at him. 

“I, I don’t think so,” he stammered, leaning back slightly. 

“Are you sure?” She asked, pulling on his arm as she leaned closer to him. “Do I seem familiar to you?” 

“No,” he said shortly as he pulled his hand free from her grasp. She blinked down at where their hands had been, seemingly only then realizing that she had been pulling on him like that. 

“Oh, ok,” she said in a small voice, putting her hands back in her lap and looking out across the water.

They were both silent for a while. 

Kristoff looked down and started pulling blades of grass out of the ground one by one. He knew he was being a bit of a jerk. He just-, hated _this_ , hated talking to people. Hated being around them. That’s why he avoided human interaction whenever possible. People just caused trouble and aggravation. But, if he was being honest with himself, Anna didn’t match what his perception was of most people. She seemed nice enough. And Sven liked her. And she was only trying to make conversation. And he supposed it was their fault, well _Sven’s_ fault, that her horse had bolted. So, she would have been well within her rights to be upset. But she hadn’t been, at least not right away. She’d only got upset with him after he was going to just leave her here by herself, so far from home. Which, yeah, that would have been an awful thing to do to someone. 

Kristoff peered up at her. He should make an effort to not be such a jerk for once, he supposed. 

“I, um, I sell ice in the market,” Kristoff offered, scratching at the back of his neck. “Down in the city. So maybe that’s why.” 

Anna looked back at him, confused. “Maybe that’s why what?”

“Why I seem familiar to you. Since you, you know, live down in the city.” 

“Oh!” Her face lit up at that. “Yes, right! Maybe!”

He gave her a small smile back. 

“Are you hungry?” she asked, beginning to dig through her satchel. “Because I’m starving.”

After looking through their respective bags Kristoff had found some carrots while Anna had some apples. She insisted that they make a trade so they’d each have at least one piece of both types of fruit. It didn’t matter much to him either way, but it seemed important to her so he went along with it. 

“This is kind of like a picnic, don’t you think?” she asked him as they ate. 

Kristoff shrugged at first, and then, “Yeah, I suppose so,” he said, reminding himself to not be rude and actually engage in conversation with her. 

Anna let out a wistful sigh. “I’ve always wanted to have a fancy picnic up in the mountains.” She did a little twinkle move with her fingers over the word _fancy_. 

Kristoff arched an eyebrow. “A fancy picnic?”

“Yes, _a fancy picnic_ ,” she responded, lowering her voice to imitate him before continuing on. “With a big, beautiful picnic blanket. And real plates and crystal glasses and cloth napkins and...”

Kristoff watched the expressions on her face as she detailed exactly what would constitute a _fancy picnic_. She’d gotten herself all excited over it as she gestured wildly. He found himself enjoying listening to her speak, which was a bit of a foreign feeling for him. But he couldn’t remember ever meeting someone so vibrant, so full of energy and life. And Kristoff was positive he'd never met a woman quite so beautiful, the thought catching him by surprise. 

“Oh! And candlesticks! And-“

“Isn’t there something you’re forgetting?” he cut in. 

Anna dropped her hands down into her lap and thought for a moment. “Like what?”

“You really can’t think of anything else that you might need at a picnic?” He took another bite of his apple. “If you really can’t think of it on your own,” he continued, talking with his mouth full. “Then I’m not going to tell you.” 

She gave him a light shove on the arm. “Come on!” she whined. “Tell me!”

Kristoff felt his heart jump from her touch, but forced the casual, playful tone to remain in his voice. “Food, Anna,” he lifted the apple he’d been working on and waved it near her face. “You need food at a picnic.”

“Oh, pshhh,” she batted his hand away, but smiled. “Of course you need food. You really think I would bring all that other stuff but forget to bring _food_ to a picnic?”

Kristoff shrugged. “Seems like the kind of thing you might do.”

Anna’s smile faded slightly as she looked at him for a moment. “Well, you don’t actually know me, do you?” 

There was no hurt or defensiveness in her tone. It was just, matter-of-fact. And she was right. He’d only just met her. 

“No, you’re right,” he looked down at his lap. “I don’t.” They were quiet for a moment. He took a deep breath before he looked back up at her. “But I’d like to.”

Her smile widened again, “I’d like that, too.” 

~

When Anna was finally ready to head home, Kristoff helped her up onto Sven’s back and then walked alongside them as they headed out. He had thought for a moment about swinging up on Sven as well. About settling in behind Anna for the ride down into the city. About how close she would be to him and-

No, nope, not going to do that. 

But he kept a hold on Sven’s harness as they walked, trying not to notice how close it made his hand to her leg. Kristoff listened as Anna made a running commentary of every flower, shrub, or small creature they saw on the walk back to the city, making sure to give responses that were more than just one word answers. 

“You can drop me off here,” Anna said suddenly as they got near the outskirts of the city. “We’re close enough now, I can walk back from here.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Kristoff asked, feeling a pang of disappointment. “We don’t mind walking you all the way to your home, do we Sven?”

Sven grunted in agreement. 

“It’s fine, really,” Anna said. Kristoff could sense a nervousness in her voice, but he didn’t want to push the issue. He thought he had done a good enough job, correcting for his initial behavior. But perhaps he had left a bad enough first impression that it didn’t matter. He reached up to help her down off Sven, trying not to think about how it felt to have his hands around her waist, even if it was just for the briefest of moments. 

“Well, if you’re sure.”

“I am,” Anna insisted. She lingered for a moment, twisting the strap of her satchel around in her hands. “Ok, well, thank you again. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” he gave her a small wave as she slowly turned and began to walk away. Kristoff felt a lurching in his stomach. He wanted to say something. To stop her. There was something deep inside him screaming to not let her walk away. To not let this be the last time he ever saw her. He wasn’t normally an impulsive person, but-, “Can I-?” 

Before he could say anymore, Anna stopped and turned back around quickly, her eyes wide. “Yes!”

“Oh, um,” he could feel himself turning red. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she laughed nervously. “You didn’t actually ask me anything.”

“No,” he scratched at the back of his neck. “But I was, I wanted to. I was just wondering, if it would be alright, if I could see you again? If that would be ok?”

Anna took a step back in his direction. “How about tomorrow?”

~

When Kristoff arrived back at his cabin he felt as if he was walking out of a dream. Had he really just made plans to meet Anna again? He really had plans for, what, a date? With a real woman? 

“Good thing we didn’t go harvesting today, right buddy?” He gave Sven a pat and set him up with a bucket of water before going inside. 

Kristoff gave the shirt he was currently wearing a sniff. Yikes. Couldn’t wear this again tomorrow. He looked around his cabin. He had to have a clean shirt around somewhere. Or, a _cleaner_ shirt at least. He should probably take a bath too, right? He laughed at himself as he began to dig through his different drawers and chests. When had he ever cared about such things before? At the bottom of one chest he found a bunched up heap of the clothes he didn’t recognize. Kristoff pulled it out and began to examine it. The fabric was of a much higher quality than anything he ever remembered owning. There was a black jacket with embroidery on the lapels, a silk vest in a bright sapphire blue with gold buttons, and a crisp white shirt that appeared to have some missing buttons near the neck. 

What were these clothes? What were they doing here in his cabin? He felt his skin begin to crawl. Kristoff shook his head and shoved them back down to the bottom of the chest and then slammed it closed. 

What was he looking for again? Right, a clean shirt.


	2. Anna

Anna felt a giddy excitement as she walked back into the castle. What had started off as just a spur-of-the-moment decision to go riding up in the mountains on a hot day had resulted in her meeting _him_.

Kristoff was so tall and handsome and so much different from all the men she had met at balls and banquets. And he had such a nice smile, when he actually chose to use it. And his hands-

Anna took a breath and shook her head. 

She knew she couldn’t get herself too excited after just one day. She had given her heart away too easily once before and it had nearly cost her and her sister their lives. 

At least she hadn’t gone and gotten engaged to Kristoff on the first day of meeting him. So, that was an improvement at least. 

But Anna already knew she had improved. She knew she wasn’t that same lonely, naive girl who had been so desperate for companionship that she threw herself at the first man to give her the slightest bit of attention. 

The gates had been open for years, she and Elsa had forged a tight bond, and she had found purpose in her role as princess. 

She couldn’t deny, though, that there was one part of her life where things were lacking. In the whole three years since the Hans debacle, she couldn’t remember a single instance where she was even remotely interested in a man romantically. 

So, if she was already feeling _this_ after just one afternoon with Kristoff? That had to mean something, right? 

And Kristoff seemed the complete opposite of everything that Hans had been. Where Hans had forced a fake charm to try to win her affections, Kristoff...definitely did not. She laughed to herself at the memory of his initial frowns and pouts. It had felt like a victory when she got him to crack that first smile. 

And Kristoff wasn’t just interested in her because she was a princess. He didn’t even know she was one. She had made sure of that. Anna would have to tell him eventually, she knew. But to know that whatever interest he had in her now, that it was in _her_ and not in her title, gave her a warm feeling. 

She hugged her pillow tight that night as she fell asleep, thinking back to how it felt to have his large hands on her waist as he had helped her down off the reindeer. 

~

“What has you so excited?” Elsa asked when Anna arrived at breakfast the next morning. 

“Oh, nothing,” Anna said with a smile, as she took a seat and began to eat. 

Elsa put her fork down and gave Anna a look, clearly seeing through her. 

Anna bit down on her lip for a moment before bursting forth. “I met a guy!”

Elsa blinked, “What?”

“I met a guy, Elsa, a _man_. Oh, and Elsa he’s so handsome and he really seems to have a kind heart and-,"

Elsa stood suddenly. A pained expression flashed across her face for a brief moment before relaxing back into her queenly mask. 

“I’m sorry, Anna, I have to go. I have some matters to attend to,” and she quickly moved to leave. 

Confused, Anna jumped up from her seat to follow. “In the middle of breakfast?”

“I’m sorry, Anna, I-“

“Elsa,” Anna took her hand and stopped her from leaving. “You’ve been acting strange these last few days. What’s wrong?”

Elsa just looked down at their hands. 

“We made a promise not to shut each other out,” Anna urged. 

Elsa squeezed her hand. “I know Anna, it’s just,” she looked back up at her, “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

~

Around midday Anna made her way to where her and Kristoff had planned to meet, the same spot just outside the city where he had dropped her off yesterday. 

Anna saw him before he saw her. He had a nervous energy in his body as he paced around. Sven grunted when he saw her, causing Kristoff to whip around and look in her direction. 

A wide smile spread across his face and she felt butterflies well up in her stomach. 

_Don’t get too excited_ , she reminded herself, pushing them back down. 

“Hi,” Kristoff said as she reached him.

“Hi,” she responded. 

They both just stood there for a moment, grinning at each other. 

“Oh,” he said looking at the basket she had hanging from the crook of her elbow. “I can carry that for you.”

“Thank you,” she said as she handed it over to him. “What a gentleman.”

Kristoff blushed at the compliment. “It’s not as far as yesterday, where we’re going, but you can ride on Sven again if you like.”

“That’s ok,” Anna said. “We can walk together.”

And so they headed off side by side, Sven trailing behind them. Kristoff eventually led her into a wide grassy field with wildflowers scattered throughout. They laid out the blanket she brought in the shade of a large tree. Sven curled up near the base of the tree and put his head down. 

Anna began to unload the contents of her basket. Bread, fruit, a wedge of cheese, and a few other food items she had rustled up from the castle’s kitchen. 

“You know, I’m a bit disappointed,” Kristoff said. 

Anna felt her heart sink at his words, but when she turned to look at him he had a grin on his face.

“This is not the _fancy_ picnic I was promised,” he teased. 

She ripped a piece off the loaf of bread she was holding and threw it at him. He just smiled wider as it bounced off his chest, before picking it up and popping it in his mouth. 

“I could only carry so much,” she said, finding her seat on the blanket. “Besides, someone once told me food was the most important thing at a picnic.”

“Sounds like a smart guy,” Kristoff responded as he sat down next to her and they began to eat. 

~

“So, you’re an ice salesman?” Anna asked after some time. 

She knew that she sometimes had a bad habit of rambling on about herself or about inconsequential things. So, she was trying to make an effort to ask Kristoff things about himself. 

But he furrowed his brow at her question. “Salesman?” 

“Well, you said you sell ice...in the market.”

“Oh, right, yes, sorry” he said, sitting up straighter. “I guess I never thought of myself as an ice _salesman_. I’m an ice harvester. I go up high in the mountains and harvest the ice and then bring it back down to the city to sell it.” 

“That’s interesting,” Anna said, reclining back on her elbows. “You both harvest the ice and sell the ice, but you only define yourself by one and not the other.”

“True,” he said. “But, I’m not sure I follow as to why that’s so interesting.” 

“It’s interesting because it tells me which part of the job you like the best,” she smiled. 

Kristoff pondered that for a moment before laying back on the blanket as well, propping himself up on one elbow and facing her, “You’re right, that is the part I like best.”

“Why though? Seems like it would be the hardest.” 

“Well, it is the hardest part, but that’s exactly why I like it best. The _selling_ of the ice, anyone can do that,” he waved his hand dismissively, “It doesn’t take much charm or people skills to stand in the market and sell ice on a hot day.” 

“Clearly,” she cut in with a wry smile

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically rolling his eyes, but she felt satisfied with the small smile it put on his face. 

“But the harvesting,” he continued, a certain resolve returning to his eyes. “That’s not something just anybody can do. It’s hard work. It can be dangerous and it requires skill. And-," he was blushing now as he looked away from her. “Sorry, that sounds like bragging, I didn’t mean-,” 

“No, I get it,” Anna reassured him, turning on her side to face him. “It’s natural to be proud of hard work.”

He looked back to her and nodded. “Well, I am. Proud of it. It’s sort of, what makes me _me_. If that makes any sense.” 

“It does,” Anna said softly. 

The corner of Kristoff’s mouth curled up slightly and Anna noticed how his eyes danced over her face. 

“What do you do?” he said finally. 

“What do you mean?” she responded, surprised by his question. 

“I mean, I’m an ice harvester,” Kristoff placed a hand on his chest before motioning it towards her. “What do you do?”

“Oh, um,” Anna had hoped this wouldn’t come up so soon. “Well, I don’t really _do_ any one thing. I help my sister out, mostly. With what she does. Not that she really ends up needing me to do much. But if she does, I’m there!” 

_That was convincing enough, right?_

“What does your sister do?” Kristoff asked, genuinely curious. 

Anna swallowed. It was one thing to avoid telling him, but she knew it would be a whole different thing to lie to him. And she knew that she didn’t want to do that. 

“She’s, uh,” deep breath, “the queen.” 

Kristoff blinked a few times. 

“The...queen,” he said slowly, as if the words were new to him. 

“Yes,” she responded. His face was so still she was finding it impossible to read his reaction. 

“Which makes you-,” his eyes widened. 

“A princess,” Anna twisted her hands together. “Yeah.” 

Kristoff swallowed and sat up. Anna followed his motion, sitting up as well, desperate to be able to read his face. 

He wasn’t saying anything, just staring out into the middle distance. 

“Is this, um, ok?” he said finally, gesturing vaguely. 

“Is what ok?” She wasn’t sure what he meant. 

“Us, here, together.”

Anna sighed. “I’m an adult, Kristoff. No castle guards are going to come looking for us.” 

“So, the queen knows you’re here with me?” he asked, tentatively. 

“Well, um, no. I didn’t tell her,” Anna admitted. “Not that I didn’t want to!” She quickly added when she saw his face fall. “It’s just, as soon as I mentioned that I had met a guy that I liked she got all funny and left. But I don’t think she was upset at the idea, she’s just been not herself the last few days, and-,”

Anna stopped, realizing what she had just said. _Met a guy that I liked._ She felt herself begin to turn red, but a smile had returned to Kristoff’s face. 

“I like you, too,” he told her. 

“Yeah?” she asked, clutching her hands together, a warmth spreading through her chest. 

He nodded and his smile widened. 

Anna bit her lip and laid back down on the blanket, more to stop herself from leaping at him than anything else. Kristoff laid down next to her, both of them on their backs. Anna shifted over slightly so that their shoulders were touching. 

For a while they just looked up as the branches of the tree they were under swayed in the breeze. Sven was snoring quietly where he was curled up at the base of the tree. 

“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, about the whole princess thing,” Anna said eventually. 

“It’s ok.”

She turned her head slightly to look at his profile. 

“Does it freak you out?”

“No, not really. Just has me wondering why...” Kristoff turned his head to look at her. “Well, you’re a princess and I’m just-“

“Amazing,” she cut him off, turning her whole body to face him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “You are.” 

Kristoff searched her face with his eyes before moving his arm out from between them. Anna took the invitation to scooch closer and lay her head on his shoulder, moving her hand over to the center of his chest. His arm came to rest behind her, his hand sitting gently on her upper arm. 

“Anna, I-I know we have only known each other for two days,” Kristoff said after a while. His voice was quiet but Anna could feel the vibrations through his chest as he spoke. “Or, not even two days, not really. But still, I feel,” he stammered, “I just, I don’t know. I’m sorry, I’m so bad at this, I-,"

“It’s ok,” she interrupted him, whispering as well, as if they had a secret to keep even though there wasn’t another person for miles. “I understand. I feel it too.”

“You do?” His hand tightened its grip on her arm. 

“Yes,” she raised her head to look down at him. “I don’t know how to explain it. I’m just...happy.”

“Yes, happy,” Kristoff smiled up at her. “I’m happy too.”

Anna smiled back before putting her head down on his chest again and closing her eyes. 

~

They ended up staying longer than planned and it was already getting dark by the time they reached the edge of the city. But even still, Anna didn’t want to say goodbye yet. 

“You know,” she clasped her hands tightly in front of her. “There’s a balcony in the castle that is really great for watching the stars and all the lights of the city.” 

“Oh, um,” Kristoff swallowed. 

“If you want,” she added quickly. “It’s getting late, I understand if you want to be getting home.”

“No, no, I want to, it’s-,”

“There’s a spot outside that Sven can stay and wait for us. And if the whole _castle_ thing is still too much for you, there is a side entrance we can sneak in.” 

Anna cringed slightly. She’d just interrupted him twice. And probably insulted him by suggesting he had to sneak into the castle. And that Sven would need to stay outside. 

But Kristoff smiled. “That sounds great, actually.” 

~

They snuck through the halls of the castle, ducking around corners until they made it to her door, undetected. Anna opened the door as they both slipped into the room. 

Kristoff froze as he looked around. “W-what room is this?”

“It’s my room,” she responded, closing the door behind them. “Come on, this way.”

“Your _bedroom_?”

Anna laughed as she led him further into the room. “Avert your eyes from the bed if you need to, we’re just here to see the stars.”

She began to unlatch the large window and swing open the panes of glass. 

“You said balcony,” Kristoff noted with some amusement, coming to stand beside her in front of what was clearly just a large windowsill. 

“I may have over sold it,” she said sheepishly, as they sat and swung their legs out the window. 

“No, you didn’t over sell it. This is amazing,” he smiled as he looked out at the view. 

Anna didn’t need to look to know the view. She knew that from her window she could see the castle courtyard and the city lights and the ships docked in the harbor and the moon shining on the fjord beyond that. She had seen that view so many times in her life. Instead, Anna kept her eyes on a new view. Kristoff, and how soft his hair looked and how strong the features of his face looked. And the curve of his shoulders. And the curve of his mouth as he was smiling. 

She slowly moved her hand closer to his along the windowsill until their pinkies brushed. Kristoff looked down at the touch, and then up to meet Anna’s eyes. The butterflies were back, in her stomach and up into her chest too. And as she looked at him now, she didn’t think she could push them back down. Didn’t think she would want to, even if she could. 

His gaze quickly moved from her eyes to her lips and then back. 

“Anna, may I-,”

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

“Anna? Are you in there?” Elsa’s voice asked. 

“Who is that?” Kristoff whispered. 

“My sister,” Anna said as she moved to step back into the room. 

“Your sis-,” Kristoff’s eyes widened. “The _queen_?” He gasped, as he almost lost his balance but then over-corrected and ended up tumbling back onto the floor of her room. 

“Anna?” Elsa called again from the hall. “I’m sorry for how I reacted this morning. Can we talk?” 

Kristoff was back up on his feet. “I can’t be here,” he hissed

“It’s just my sister, it’s fine,” Anna tried to reassure him. 

“I’m in your bedroom! She’ll throw me in the dungeon or something,” his shoulders were hunched as he stared over at the door with fear. 

“You missed dinner,” Elsa continued. “So, I brought you a tray of food.”

“She’s not going to throw you in the dungeon,” Anna chuckled as she began to move towards her door. 

“Anna,” Elsa sighed. “I hear you in there. I’m coming in.”

The doorknob turned. 

“I really just want to talk,” Elsa said as she maneuvered the door open. She was looking down, holding the tray of food with one end balanced on her forearm in order to have a free hand for the door. Once she had the tray righted in both hands she looked up at Anna with a smile. 

But Elsa’s gaze quickly moved to the other person in the room, her eyes going wide. 

The tray hit the floor with a loud crash, plate and glass breaking. 

_“Kristoff?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has provided me with encouragement for this fic. <3
> 
> Things start getting weird in the next chapter. So, please hang with me and I promise (hopefully?) that everything will make sense in the end.
> 
> Also, a playlist for this fic can be found here:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0SZX5tKfALPZ7aZABZQ8UE?si=80IjFQJdTdGr_95KUFBvbA


	3. Make Me Forget

**One Week Earlier**

~

Kristoff came stomping out into the torch light that illuminated the castle courtyard, his shoulders hunched and his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The soles of his polished boots rapped loudly on the stone ground as he headed for the stables. He ran a hand roughly through his hair to free it from how it’d been slicked back. 

“Just-, Just? _JUST!_ ” He muttered to himself, unable to even finish the thought. 

How could she say that to him? After three years? Three goddamn years! 

He pulled hard at the collar of his shirt. It had felt tight all night but now it was suffocating. Some of the top buttons end up popping off, scattering across the ground. 

_Doesn’t matter_ , he thought, _never going to wear the damn thing again anyway_. 

He’d normally always change out of these types of outfits here and leave them at the castle. No need for fine silk clothes and embroidered jackets up in the mountains. But he didn’t want to spend one more minute in this damn place then he needed to. 

“Let’s go, Sven,” he growled as he stormed into the stable, “we’re going home.”

Sven looked up confused from where he was settled down in the straw. Kristoff knew Sven would have expected to sleep the night here in the stables. Knew Sven would have expected Kristoff to sleep the night up in Anna’s-

He felt the anger roll through him again. 

“LET’S GO!” He shouted, pointing at the wagon. 

Sven stood up then, grunting angrily back at him. 

Kristoff took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging. He couldn’t take this out on Sven. It wasn’t fair, he knew. 

“I’m sorry, buddy,” he walked over and placed a hand on Sven’s head, “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

Sven gave him a questioning grunt and nuzzle. 

“I’ll explain it to you later,” he said, running his hand through Sven’s fur, “But, it is time to go now, ok?” 

Kristoff got Sven hooked to the wagon, loaded up the few possessions he kept in the stables, and headed out of the castle gates, desperately trying not to think about if it would be for the last time. 

~

It was another hot day, and it didn’t take long for Kristoff to sell off his full haul of ice. He lingered in the market though, unsure of what to do next. 

He had left to go harvesting first thing the morning after their fight. He needed some time alone. Some time to think and clear his head. The mountains and the ice, they always did that for him. 

But now days had gone by since he last saw Anna. They needed to talk. He knew this. They had both said hurtful things. But if he apologized, and if they talked, Kristoff knew he could make things right. 

When he looked over in the direction of the castle, thinking about how he would work up the nerve to go and talk to her, his breath caught in his chest. Anna was walking off the stone bridge from the castle and heading right towards the market. 

Kristoff stood nervously by the side of his wagon as she approached. She wasn’t looking at him, which seemed bad. But, she also didn’t look mad, which seemed good. Right?

As she passed in front of him her eyes caught his briefly. She gave him a polite smile and nod before continuing on her way. Kristoff opened his mouth to say something, but she was gone. 

He wasn’t sure what he expected would happen the first time they saw each again. But he would have preferred screams and curses and her making a scene right there in the middle of the market compared to the forced indifference he received instead. 

~

Kristoff returned to the city the next day. He needed to see her. Needed to talk to her and make this right. He absentmindedly touched the outside of his pants pocket, feeling for the object within, as he made his way across the stone bridge. 

“Halt,” the guard said firmly as he reached the main castle gates. 

“I’m here to see Anna,” Kristoff told him. 

The guard kept a firm stare straight ahead, not making eye contact. 

Kristoff took a step closer and lowered his voice, “Anders, come on. It’s me.” 

The guard’s face softened slightly before quickly looking around and back over his shoulder. 

“Kristoff, I can’t,” he leaned in, speaking quietly, “We have strict orders to keep you off the castle grounds.”

“What?” Kristoff hissed. 

“We’re not even allowed to say your _name_. I don’t know what happened, but,” Anders gave him a sympathetic frown, “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Kristoff shook his head, “But you don’t take orders from Anna, you only take orders from-,”

_Oh._

~

“She just looked right through me,” Kristoff explained to Pabbie as the two sat alone near the far edges of the valley of the trolls, “And then I go to the castle to talk to her,” he continues, “and they won’t let me in the front gates. Elsa has me barred from the grounds. _Elsa!_ ”

Kristoff sighed as he toed the edge of a rock with his boot. Pabbie just quietly nodded. 

“As if I don’t know every way to sneak into that place. But, the guards, they’re good guys. I don’t want to get any of them in trouble, if they’re really under strict orders to keep me out.”

Pabbie nodded again. 

“But if Anna won't see me, won’t talk to me, I don’t know what else to do.”

Silence. 

Kristoff closed his eyes and ran his hand across his face, “You’re not saying anything,” he looked over at the old troll, a bit of desperation creeping into his voice, “I need some help here.” 

“Kristoff,” Pabbie sighed, “Anna has chosen to move on. It may be best if you choose to do the same.”

“What?” He said, incredulous, “No, I can fix it. I came here so you could, I don’t know, you're the love expert, right? Can’t you tell me what to do? What to say to make this right?”

“Sometimes,” Pabbie said carefully, “there isn’t anything that can be said. Isn’t anything that can be done.”

Kristoff shook his head, “I don’t understand, I-,”

“You are right,” Pabbie interrupted, “that I am an expert in love. But I am also an expert in a great many other things. And Anna knows this. That’s why she came to me.”

“She came _here_? When?”

“A few days past. She asked that I remove you from her memory, just as I had removed her sister’s powers from her memory when she was a child.”

“She what?” Kristoff felt his heart sink, “You told her no though, right?”

“It was her wish, Kristoff,” Pabbie responded, his voice solemn, “It was what she wanted. It was what she said needed to be done.”

Kristoff stood suddenly, “No, it can’t-, she wouldn’t.” 

Pabbie didn’t respond. Kristoff felt a boiling up in his chest, anger and panic in equal measures. 

“Undo it!” He shouted, trying to ignore how his heartbeat was pounding in his ears. 

“It cannot be undone.”

Kristoff stormed away from Pabbie, hopping up on Sven and taking off. 

But, after a night of no sleep, a night of tossing and turning and cursing at the sky, Kristoff came riding back into the valley of the trolls. 

He jumped down off Sven and marched right over to Pabbie. 

“I want it done, too. Make me forget.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristoff feels like he’s falling. 

He awakes with a start, sitting up straight. 

He looks around. He’s in his bed. 

Pabbie is there. Why is Pabbie there, in his cabin? The trolls rarely leave their valley. 

“It will be a complete removal,” Pabbie tells him, “Anything and everything.”

“You just said that,” Kristoff responds. 

He goes to stand but the ground lurches beneath his feet. His vision goes blurry as he stumbles forward. 

He’s in the valley of the trolls. 

“It was her wish, Kristoff,” Pabbie says in a solemn voice, “It was what she wanted. It was what she said needed to be done.”

Kristoff struggles to keep his footing. 

“We’re not even allowed to say your _name_ ,” he hears Anders say. 

Kristoff closes his eyes. Concentrates. Puts his hands on his head. 

_Concentrate._

The ground beneath his feet begins to steady and his head stops spinning. 

Kristoff opens his eyes. He’s standing in the market next to his wagon. Anna is walking in his direction. 

_It’s the memories_ , he realizes, _the memories that are being erased._

Anna looks at him, gives him a polite smile and nod before continuing on her way. 

“You weren’t ignoring me,” he says to her back, “you just didn’t recognize me.”

Anna stops, turns her head and looks at him from over her shoulder. 

Kristoff feels the lurching again and he stumbles forward. 

He’s in the castle. 

Anna is walking ahead of him. She’s wearing the sapphire blue gown she wore to the coronation anniversary ball. He’s in his matching formal wear. 

_The night we fought_ , he thinks. 

“You’re mad at me,” Kristoff says to her, more statement than question. 

“You’re very observant,” Anna spits back as she reaches the door of her bedroom. She throws it open and storms in. 

“I knew you were going to be like this tonight. I just _knew!_ ” She sits on the bed and begins to remove her shoes, “Any time you have to delay a harvesting trip because of something like this you just become completely _unbearable_.”

Kristoff follows her into the room. He knows that this is just a memory. But his anger from that night is still too fresh and he can’t help himself from having the argument again. 

“Unbearable how, Anna?” He groans, “I didn’t _do_ anything.”

Anna rolls her eyes as she tosses her shoes to the floor and walks over to her vanity. 

“I’m here, aren’t I?” He argues, “I’m here. I’m in these clothes and I’m standing beside you. I don’t know what else you want from me, Anna.”

“I want to be able to look over at you and not see, see,” she sputters for a moment, “ _that face!_ ” she gestures at him, “The pouting and the frowning and the looking like you couldn’t possibly be more miserable.”

“Well, I was miserable,” Kristoff mutters as he crosses his arms.

“Well, heaven forbid you pretend not to be for a few hours,” Anna responds sarcastically. 

Objects and furniture in the room begin to disappear. Kristoff can feel the memory being erased. But he concentrates, tries to hold on. Too stubborn to let the argument go. 

“I’m sorry I’m no good at putting on a fake smile and a fake happy disposition,” he throws his hands in the air, “I’m not like you.”

Anna flinches. She takes a deep breath and fixes him with a cold stare. 

“Kristoff,” her voice is quiet and steady, “I don’t want to be the reason you feel miserable. If these events are really so-,” her eyes fall away from his as she turns to face the mirror of her vanity, “then don’t come anymore. You don’t need to come.”

“I do,” he sighs, “I know I do, I-,”

“You don’t!” She snaps. 

Her back is still turned but Kristoff can see how tense and tight her face is through the mirror. 

“You really don’t,” she breathes out, the anger barely contained in her voice, “You are just my boyfriend. You have no official role. You are not required to attend.” 

He opens and closes his mouth. Turns to leave. This had been the moment that he had left that night. 

But he stops now and faces her again. 

The vanity has disappeared, but Anna is looking forward as if the mirror were still there. She starts to remove pins from her hair. 

“I can’t wait!” he shouts, “To never have to remember this stupid conversa-!” 

He’s interrupted by a chuck of the wall falling off. 

“Look at what’s happening!” He points up at the cracks forming along the walls. 

Objects in the room continue to disappear. 

“It’s all falling apart, Anna. Are you happy?”

She continues to work on her hair, as if she doesn’t hear him. Doesn’t notice what is happening to the room. 

“I’m erasing you, but you did it to me first!” He can feel the burn in his throat. He clenches his fists, “I can’t _believe_ you did this to me!”

Anna turns around. The tightness of her face is gone and the sadness that has replaced it knocks the breath from him. She lets out a sob as she sinks down to the floor. 

“Anna,” Kristoff's voice is a whisper as he goes to take a step in her direction. 

The ground beneath his feet opens up. He falls. 

Lands flat on his back. But the landing is soft. He’s on a bed. Not the little bed in his cabin, but the big bed in Anna’s room. Morning light is streaming in through the windows.

He sees the dress Anna was just wearing during their fight arranged neatly on her mannequin. No, he reminds himself, the dress she will be wearing. 

The memories are happening in reverse. It’s the morning _before_ the ball. He hasn’t had the fight with Anna yet. 

Anna. He looks up. Anna’s above him, red hair wild from sleep, chest bare, her fingernails drag down his arms as she rocks against him. 

_That’s right_ , he remembers, _we had sex the morning before the fight._

He takes hold of her hips and starts moving in rhythm with her.

“There you are,” she smiles as her eyes close and her head rolls back, “Thought I lost you there for a minute.”

“You could never lose me,” he hums, “But this, it’ll be the last time we have sex, won’t it?” he says as he moves one hand up her body to cup her breast, “This will be the last time.” 

“Shhh, Kristoff,” she blindly fumbles for his mouth with her hand, eventually finding and covering it, “you’re ruining the mood.”

He nips at her fingers and she pulls her hand away with a yelp and a giggle. She opens her eyes again and looks down at him, her face full of love. 

“How’s this for the mood?” He moves the hand not currently occupied by her breast over and between her legs, uses his thumb in the way he knows she likes. 

Kristoff listens to the sounds that Anna makes. Watches the sight of her as she rocks and bounces above him. Feels her clench and vibrate as she releases and then collapses down onto him. 

She places soft kisses on his chest and tells him that she loves him. 

How could he have ever been so stupid? How could he have thought he would never want to have this moment again?

“That was fun,” she smiles up at him, kissing him on the chin.

“We’re not done yet, princess,” he wraps his arms around her waist and flips her over onto her back, “I distinctly remember making you come twice on this morning.”

“Oh yeah?” A wicked grin spreads across her face and her eyes are bright and he loves her so much it hurts. 

He buries a hand into the tangled mess of her hair, “Let’s never fight again, ok?” 

“Well,” she traces her fingers across the muscles of his chest, “that’s kind of the plan, isn’t it?” 

He gets a sinking feeling. Items in the room begin to disappear. He looks up to see cracks beginning to break up the walls. 

“Hey,” Anna pulls his face back to hers, “You promised me another orgasm,” she tries to tease, but her voice is quiet and shaky and there is a sadness in her eyes.

“I’ll always keep my promises to you,” he tells her as he begins to push into her. 

Kristoff kisses at the corner of her open, moaning mouth. Listens to her sweet mumblings as he kisses down her neck. Feels her fist tighten in his hair, feels the pain on his scalp. Focuses on the pain. The pain means she’s still here, still real. 

“You’re wrong,” her breath hitches, “about something.”

“Aren’t I always?” he hooks one of her legs up over his shoulder so he can hit her from a new angle.

“It won’t be the last, ahh-” she gasps, “time. It’s all happening,” _deep breath_ , “in reverse,” _moans_ , “Krist-, I’m so clo-, I’m-”

“Come for me, Anna.” 

Her back arches as she cries out his name. He feels her clench around him, takes a few more hard thrusts before finding his own release.

“I love you, Kristoff” she whispers to him, “I love you so much.” 

Everything in the room besides the bed is gone. The walls have begun to crumble. 

“I love you, too,” he rolls off her and pulls her close against his chest, “I can keep this one, right?” he says as she kisses the tip of his nose, “I can keep this one memory.”

Anna brushes back his sweat damp hair, “I don’t think it works like that, baby.”

He reaches up to touch her face, but she’s gone. 

He feels the panic seize him. 

“Anna!” he shouts. He goes to move but he’s tangled in the sheets, “No! Let me keep this, please let me keep this memory!” 

Kristoff desperately tries to free himself from the sheets while also searching for Anna somewhere in the bed, “Just this one! Please!”

He falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, when we’re hurt or angry, we end up talking _past_ each other instead of _to_ each other. 
> 
> But, there’s nothing like being trapped in the slowly erasing memories of your relationship to get two people to actually talk like grownups, right?


	4. Questions and Answers

Kristoff stumbles forward into a clearing. He looks around as he gains his footing. 

It’s their spot. The place only they know about, far from the city. With the willows and the pond. Anna is sitting on a fallen log, looking at the water.

“I love it here,” she sighs as he comes to stand next to her. 

Kristoff sits on the ground next to her feet, his back against the log and his shoulder against her thigh. They sit in silence for a moment.

Anna begins to run her fingers gently through his hair. He closes his eyes and leans into the sensation. 

“We came here so many times,” she says, “things always felt simpler here. Easier.”

Kristoff doesn’t respond. 

“There were times I wondered what would happen if we just never left.”

“I need it to stop,” He says finally.

He feels the falling. 

They’re standing in a snowy field, bundled up in their warm winter clothes. 

Anna bends down, collects a handful of snow, and slowly begins to form a snowball. She lightly tosses it at him, hitting him square in the chest. 

Kristoff places his hands over where he was hit and lets his body fall straight back like a tree, the deep snow providing him with a soft landing

Anna gives a small laugh and comes to kneel down beside him. But the smile on her face is sad, “That always made me laugh.”

“That’s why I always did it,” he tells her. 

Kristoff looks at her for a moment before sitting up and taking one of her mittened hands in his. 

“Why did you do it Anna?” he asks, his voice soft, “Why did you just-, We could have talked. We could have fixed it.”

Her eyes narrow, “I tried to talk to you. I went to your cabin the next day, but you,” she trails off.

The guilt washes over him, “I went harvesting.”

“The whole three years we were together,” she looks down, “you never once went harvesting without me seeing you off. Without me being able to put my arms around you and kiss you and tell you to be safe and,” her voice begins to catch. 

Kristoff takes his mittens off and moves closer to her, cupping her face in hands, “Anna, I, shit, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I wasn’t thinking that you would come up to the cabin, I-,” he sighs and leans his forehead against hers, “I was just so angry. When you said I was _just_ your boyfriend and you just dismissed me like that. And, and then I come back and you’ve just… gotten rid of me?”

Anna pulls backs and searches his eyes for a moment. The snow around them begins to disintegrate. 

“I wasn’t getting rid of you, Kristoff. I was setting you free.”

He feels the ground lurch below them and they’re suddenly standing. 

They’re in the ballroom of the castle. Anna is wearing a deep green velvet gown. Kristoff’s jacket is in a matching color, with gold embroidery on the lapels. The room is full of dancing guests in equally fine dress. 

Kristoff takes her hand in one of his as he slips the other around her waist, settling it on her lower back. Anna places her free hand on his shoulder and they begin to move. 

Kristoff always knew he could never learn the fancy dances that were so popular at these events. But this? Slowly swaying while holding her tight? He could do this.

“You said I was fake,” Anna says eventually, “You said I had a fake smile and a fake disposition. And it’s not just that you said it, it’s that you said it with such disdain in your voice. I always knew you didn’t like this part of my life,” she gestures to their surroundings, “but when you said that, it made me feel like you didn’t like this part of _me_. The princess part of me.”

Kristoff squeezes her hand, “Anna, I didn’t mean-”

“No, please,” she sighs, “just let me-,” she closes her eyes, seemingly gathering her thoughts.

“And when I said you were _just_ my boyfriend, I wasn’t trying to diminish what our love is or what you mean to me. Of course you mean more, you mean so much more,” she moves the hand that had been on his shoulder up to rest against his cheek, “For three years we tried to have the best of both worlds. But if things were more...official? Choices would need to be made.”

Guests begin to disappear around them. 

“I could never choose your world. I have a duty to Arendelle. And while I knew that you loved me and I knew that you would never want to leave me, I also knew that you would never choose my world. So, I set you free.”

Kristoff gets a crushing feeling in his chest, “Anna, no, I-”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first,” she continues on, tears forming in her eyes, “I just, I knew if I saw you again that I wouldn’t be able to go through with it. I knew that the only way I could really let you go was if I didn’t remember you, so I had to, Kristoff, I had-”

“ _Anna_ ,” he interupts her, “I did choose.”

A confused look crosses her face, “What do you mean?”

“I had a ring.”

Anna’s mouth drops open as she stops still, her hands falling away from him. 

The wood floor begins to splinter and crack. 

“The trolls, they found me a stone. An orange diamond,” he brushes a strand of her auburn hair back behind her ear, “and I had a ring made. I had it for a while, I just, I was never brave enough to give it to you.”

Anna goes to say something but then he feels the falling again. 

When he lands he’s laid back on the chaise lounge in Anna’s room. She’s in his arms and she’s on top of him with her head on his chest. They’re naked, but wrapped up together in blankets. 

The only light and sound is the dancing of the flames and the crackle of the wood in the fireplace. 

“You, you were, but, I thought, I-,” Anna stutters as she looks up at him with confused eyes. 

_How could it be such a surprise to her_ , he wonders, _how could she not know?_

He realizes now, how much he never told her. 

“Anna, I,” Kristoff runs a hand through her hair, “I feel awful that I ever made you think-,” he sighs, “Of course there were lots of little things I didn’t like about all those formal events. The clothes and the hundred different forks at dinner and getting sucked into boring conversation with some baron or duchess. But the worst part, the thing I really hated was, was feeling guilty that I was no good at it all.”

Anna’s eyes soften. 

“I hated worrying that I was going to do something or say something that would embarrass myself. Or, worse, embarrass you or Elsa. So I was always on edge. I could never feel comfortable. But,” he shook his head, “none of that was your fault and I should have done a better job of dealing with all that. And so, yes, there were parts of _it_ that I didn’t like, but, Anna, I never disliked that part of _you_. I loved that part of you.”

“Really?” She smiles and his heart aches at the sight. 

“Yes, of course,” he grips her tighter, “How excited you would get when you were helping to plan things. How beautiful you looked in your gowns. How you were able to charm every person in the room like some kind of magic. Anna, I love every part of you.” 

Anna’s lip begins to quiver and she buries her face into his chest “Oh, Kristoff, I’m so sorry,” he feels her body heave with a sob, “I’ve made a horrible mistake.”

“No, I’m the one that needs to be sorry,” he feels tears begin to sting his own eyes as he strokes her hair, “I’m sorry that I made you feel like I could ever want anything besides a life with you. I’m sorry that I left, both the night of the fight and the next morning. And, and, I’m sorry that I was too much of a coward to ask you to marry me.”

Anna lifts her head and looks back up at him, “Ask me now.”

“I don’t have the ring,” he tells her. 

She shakes her head, “It doesn’t matter.”

He always imagined that he’d get down on one knee to do this. But, he had imagined a lot of things that weren’t going to happen now. And the warm cocoon of the blankets, with her skin against his, is too good to leave. 

Kristoff cups her face in his hand and runs his thumb back and forth across her cheek, brushing away the tears that are still falling.

“Anna,” he takes a deep breath to try to steady his voice, “I love you more than I ever thought I was capable of loving someone. You are this _extraordinary_ beacon of light and I am so lucky that I found you and I-, I choose you, Anna. I choose every part of you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she chokes out before reaching up and kissing him. 

He holds her tight until the room breaks apart around them.


	5. Late Nights

It’s night in the castle.

“This memory feels strange,” Anna says as they walk through the doors into the library.

There is a fire roaring in the large fireplace along the far wall. On the sofa facing it, sitting alone at one end, is Elsa. She doesn’t seem to notice that Anna and Kristoff are in the room. Instead, she’s just looking over at the opposite end of the sofa.

“You weren’t here,” Kristoff says as he starts moving towards the fireplace, “You were sick with a fever. I wanted to stay with you, but you needed rest and you said I was too warm in the bed.”

Anna smiles, “I like your body heat in the bed...most of the time.”

“I-I couldn’t leave the castle. I couldn’t just _leave_ knowing you were sick,” he comes to stop near the empty end of the sofa, “So I came here. It was the middle of the night, so I figured no one would be here and it would be a safe place to hide out and get some sleep.” 

Kristoff sits down. He tries placing himself in Elsa’s line of sight, but she seems to be looking through him instead of at him. 

“Elsa was here. And I was,” he huffs out a breath, “so scared. I was still sneaking in and out of windows back then, wasn’t supposed to be in the castle this late. So, I thought, _oh shit, I got us caught_ ,” he chuckles, “Thought for sure I was about to see the inside of the dungeon or be turned into an icicle or something.” 

Anna lets out a small laugh as she comes to stand next to him, “Well, she doesn’t _look_ mad.”

“No, she wasn’t mad,” Kristoff says fondly, “she acted like it was the most normal thing in the world for me to be here. And so, we just...talked.”

Elsa smiles. Her mouth begins to move as if she’s speaking, but there is no sound. 

Why can’t he hear what she’s saying, he wonders, And why can’t he remember what she said?

The paintings being to disappear off the walls.

“But,” Anna looks around confused, “if I wasn’t here, then why are we here and why is it erasing?”

The realization hits Kristoff like a punch to the chest.

 _It will be a complete removal,_ Pabbie had told him, _Anything and everything._

Elsa is looking at him like she’s listening intently to something he is saying. And then, again, she opens her mouth and begins speaking with no sound.

“They’re erasing her too.” Kristoff whispers. 

He hears the walls begin to crack. 

He’s so stupid. So stupid for so many reasons. How could he have not realized? Of course they would take his memories of Elsa as well. If he never knew Anna, then he’d never know her. 

The room begins to shake. 

Kristoff remembers how nervous he was around Elsa at first. He remembers how welcoming she was of him, how even early on she made him feel like he was already part of the family.

Elsa is still looking at him, her smile is warm and reassuring.

He remembers all that, but he can’t remember what she’s saying to him here? Has it already been erased?

The fire leaps from the fireplace and the whole wall is engulfed.

“Kristoff,” Anna says nervously as she reaches out for his arm. 

“I-I need to remember what she said,” he says, trying to hold onto the memory, “It was _important_.”

Elsa leans toward him, reaches out her hand and places it on his shoulder. 

_Remember. Remember. Remember._

“Of course they would have, Kristoff,” her voice finally breaking through, “They would have _loved_ you.”

He reaches his hand out as she disappears in front of him.

He falls forward.

When he lands he’s sitting in the small field next to his cabin. It must be spring because the wildflowers are just starting to bloom. 

Anna is sitting next to him, her eyes sad and sympathetic. 

Kristoff sighs and lets himself fall backwards onto the grass. 

“She was right, they would have loved you,” Anna says as she moves closer to him, reaching out and taking his hand. 

_Something that will never happen_ , Kristoff thinks, _Add it to the list of things that will now never have happened._

“I came to the castle,” he tells her, “I came to try to talk to you, to try to win you back.”

Anna smiles sadly, “You did?” 

“The guard wouldn’t let me through the gate. Said Elsa had barred me from the castle grounds. I got so mad at her. At the idea that she would-,“ Kristoff squeezes Anna’s hand, “But, you’d already had your memory erased. She was just trying to protect you. Protect me too, I guess.” 

“I put her in a horrible position,” Anna lays down next to him as he lifts an arm to wrap around her.

“I’m going to forget Olaf, too. And you’ll forget Sven.”

Anna shakes her head, “None of them deserved that.”

He closes his eyes and pulls her tighter.

Waits for the falling. 

~

When he finds his footing again he’s high up on the castle roof, looking out on a view of the stars and the city lights and the moon reflecting off the fjord. 

Kristoff gives the window next to him a few light knocks with his knuckle. The large panes swing inward, revealing Anna’s smiling face. 

“When did we stop doing this?” She asks as he steps into the room. 

Kristoff begins to pull off his heavy boots, “Stop what?” 

“When did we stop the sneaking around and the you climbing through windows and when did you start just walking up to my room at the end of the night?”

“I guess,” he shrugs, “it stopped being such a secret, so we didn’t really need to do the sneaking.”

Kristoff tosses his boots to the side and moves to wrap his hands around Anna’s waist and pull her close. 

“But, the sneaking wasn’t just to keep it secret,” she blushes and carefully inspects the fabric of his shirt, avoiding eye contact, “I liked the sneaking. It was...exciting.”

“Oh yeah?” He arches an eyebrow. 

“Yes, because I could do _this!_ ” Anna twirls away from his grasp and clasps her hands under her chin, “Oh my word!” She exclaims with a lilt in her voice, “How did this rugged mountain man get inside my bedroom?” 

Kristoff chuckles. 

“Play along,” she hisses at him with a stomp. 

“Ok, ok,” he clears his throat and lowers his voice, “Princess! I’ve climbed the castle walls and taken out the guards, all just to get to you.”

Anna makes a motion with her hand for him to continue talking. 

“And, uh, I’ve come here to…,” 

“To ravish me,” she whispers. 

“To ravish you!” He says with a bit more force, pointing a finger at her. 

“You’ll have to catch me first!” She darts away and he takes off after her. 

“There’s nowhere to hide, princess!”

She rounds the chaise lounge and turns back to him with a wicked grin, “I’ll have you know that I have a boyfriend! And he’s big and strong and handsome and he’d beat you up if he was here!”

The chaise lounge disappears between them. 

“Ah ha!” He rushes forward, bends, and grabs her around the waist, hoisting her up over his shoulder, “Got you!”

“Not fair!” She shouts, smacking him on the back while her feet kick out in the air in front of him, “that’s cheating!”

Kristoff stifles a laugh as he starts walking over to the bed, “Quiet, princess.”

“How dare you throw me up over your unnaturally broad shoulders!” Anna continues to kick and wiggle around, “Put me down, you big smelly brute!” 

“With pleasure,” and he drops her down onto the bed. 

She makes an _oof_ sound as she hits the mattress. 

“Anna!” He breaks character, “I’m sorry, are you ok? I didn’t mean-“

“Shhh, no,” Anna whispers in her normal voice and waives her hand, “I’m fine, keep going.” 

“Ok, uh,” he clears his throat and drops his voice back down, “I’ve got you now, princess.”

She brings the back of her hand up to her forehead in dramatic fashion, “No, please! I can’t!”

“There’s no running now. You’re right where you belong,” he growls and he crawls on top of her. She giggles as his lips make contact with her neck. 

But then Anna pulls back with a gasp, “Kristoff! That’s it!”

He continues to kiss further down her neck and to her collarbone, his fingers reaching up to the top buttons of her nightgown. 

“Kristoff, stop,” she bats at the side of his head, “Listen, you need to hide me.”

“Hide you?” He picks his head up and searches her eyes for a moment, confused, “Is this still part of the thing, I don’t-“

“No, no, no! That’s how we stop it, you hide me!” Anna has a wild excitement in her eyes but Kristoff still doesn’t understand. 

“What do you mean? Hide you where?”

“Somewhere that, that, _it_ won’t come for me. This memory is erasing because I belong here,” She motions to the slowly disappearing objects in her room, “We know you can take me into memories that I wasn’t originally in, like the library. So, what if you brought me to one that I wasn’t originally in _and_ one that had nothing to do with me. A memory that won’t be erased. And you just, you know, hide me there? So, when you wake up, you’ll still remember me.”

Kristoff slowly sits up and back on heels, hope blooming in his chest, “Would that even work? I know when I concentrate I can hold onto a memory for a bit longer before it disappears, so…”

Anna sits up as well, “So, maybe if you concentrate on a specific memory you can force yourself there.” 

Kristoff thinks about it for a moment, “I-I guess we could try. But, where should I take you? What memory?” 

She bites her lip and thinks for a moment, “Something from before you knew me. That way we know for sure it won’t be erased.”

He nods, “Yes, you’re right that would probably work best.”

“Ok, go!” she gestures at him with both hands. 

“Now?” He arches an eyebrow. 

“Yes. Now,” she urges. 

“No,” Kristoff shakes his head with a grin, “not now. We’re not done with _this_ memory yet.”

She lets out a happy shriek as he tackles her back down onto the bed.


	6. Hide Away

The next time Kristoff falls, he tries to concentrate. 

_Concentrate. Concentrate._

His eyes are closed as he tries to focus his mind. Tries to keep the memory he’s aiming for at the center of his thoughts. 

The farther back the better they figured. Something buried deep where she could stay safely hidden. 

_Concentrate._

He feels a force pulling at him, trying to keep him from where he wants to go. Like walking into a windstorm. 

_Concentrate._

When his feet feel solid ground he risks opening his eyes. 

Kristoff’s vision is blurry and his surroundings are warped, but he’s able to get his bearings. He’s in the orphanage, clutching his lute in his small hands. 

His mind is swimming though, and he shakes his head and tries to focus. He looks up and there is a dark haired boy standing over him. Kristoff goes to move back, but the boy snatches the lute out of his hands. 

“Give it back!” He whines.

The boy grabs Kristoff’s shoulder and shoves him hard, causing him to land painfully on the ground. He hears laughing. 

The force trying to pull him from the memory gets stronger. He can’t stay here. He needs to be alone so he can keep concentrating. He needs to stay in the memory. Needs to bring Anna to him. 

Kristoff manages to get to his feet and stumble out of the house. He rounds the corner into an alleyway. 

_Concentrate._

The ground below his feet seems to rock and sway like he’s on a boat. He sits down against a wall and pulls his knees up to his chest. 

_Concentrate. Anna._

Kristoff wraps his arms tighter around his knees and closes his eyes. His stomach lurches and his head begins to hurt. But he needs to concentrate. Needs to focus on Anna. 

_Anna. Anna. Anna._

“Kristoff?”

He opens his eyes and Anna is kneeling in front of him, but the image of her flickers like a flame. Still, his heart soars at the sight.

“You’re here,” he reaches for her but his hand passes through her. 

There is concern in her face. 

She tries to speak to him but her voice goes in and out as the image of her flickers. 

“Kristoff … are … ok?”

It’s not working, not fully. He needs to concentrate harder. He needs to do this for her. For them. 

_Concentrate._

He feels himself being sucked back. He brings his hands up to his head and he feels his eyes sting. The pain is getting worse. 

“It hurts,” he grits through clenched teeth. 

“Kristoff, you need … stop, you … …. let go. Krist… … to me … … … come back …”

“No, I need to keep trying!”

_Concentrate. Anna._

The ground rolls beneath him.

“... -toff … … I … sorry, pl- …”

Kristoff hears himself screaming. 

He can’t hold on anymore. 

He falls forward and lands hard, face down on the wood floor. 

“Kristoff!” He hears Anna call out and then he feels her hands on him, helping him sit up. 

His head is still spinning and it takes him a moment to become aware of his surroundings. 

They’re in his cabin. Kristoff feels a chill go through his body. Looking down at himself, he realizes his feet and chest are bare and all he’s wearing is a wet pair of pants.

“Kristoff, are you ok?” Anna’s voice is full of fear. 

He blinks and looks at her as she kneels next to him, his eyes finally focusing. She has his thick wool blanket wrapped over her shoulders and he can see that she’s shivering slightly.

“Anna,” he reaches out and pulls her close against his chest, “I’m so sorry Anna. I tried, I really tried, but-“

The words die in his throat as he lets out a sob. 

“It’s ok, Kristoff,” She runs her hands up and down his back, “I know you did, I know.”

Anna pulls back just enough to cradle his face in her hands and brush the tears from his cheeks, “You looked like you were in so much pain.”

Kristoff nods, “It felt like my head was splitting in two.”

They sit in silence for a while, the failure weighing heavy in his chest. 

“Come on,” Anna says eventually, “let's get you up,” she helps him up to his feet. 

Kristoff’s legs are shaky at first but he steadies himself, his head starting to feel better as well. 

“Your hair is wet,” he says to Anna almost as a question, just noticing it for the first time. 

Anna gives him a small smile, “So is yours.”

He looks down and sees that under the wool blanket she’s only wearing her chemise and drawers. 

Kristoff sucks in a breath as he finally realizes what memory they’re in.

Anna places her hands on his bare chest, “We got caught in that sudden snow storm, retreated back here to your cabin.”

“We needed to take off the wet clothes,” his breath is ragged. 

Anna lifts her arms to wrap around his neck, letting the blanket fall off her shoulders onto the floor around her feet, and pulls him into a deep kiss.

Kristoff holds her tight and slowly walks her backwards to the bed, kissing her the entire way. 

Anna breaks the kiss when the back of her legs make contact with the bed. She looks up at him, cheeks flushed, and keeps her eyes locked on his as she pulls the chemise up over her head and tosses it to the floor. 

Kristoff swallows as he takes in the sight of her. 

“You just stood there for a while,” she smiles, “I had to tell you it was ok to touch me.”

He reaches out his hands, but pauses and looks down at them, “I was so nervous, my hands were shaking.”

Anna takes hold of his wrists, guiding him to her soft skin. 

“I had never done anything like this before,” he runs his large hands up and down her torso, tests out the feel of her breasts under his touch, “I had no idea what I was doing.”

“Neither did I,” her voice is warm, “but we figured it out together.”

Kristoff kisses her again. Puts one hand up behind her neck and the other in the center of her back, gently guiding her down onto the bed. He lays down on his side beside her, propping himself up on one elbow while his other hand continues to roam her body. 

He kisses across her shoulder and down the front of the chest.

“I wanted to kiss every freckle on your body,” Kristoff murmurs against her skin, “but when I told you that, you said it would take forever.”

“Hmmm,” Anna runs her fingers through his hair, “And then you said that it didn’t matter because you had nowhere better to be.”

His hand eventually makes contact with the fabric of her drawers. He lightly traces his fingers across the hem, silently asking permission. 

Anna unties the drawstring and pushes the fabric down over the swell of her hips. 

Kristoff helps push her drawers the rest of the way off and then lets his hand trail slowly back up her leg. He runs his palm over her hip, her stomach, and up to her breast, taking in her full nakedness. 

“I asked you to show me,” his voice is low and shaky, “to show me what you wanted. What would make you feel good.”

Anna bites her lip as she takes hold of his hand in hers. Kristoff keeps his eyes fixed on the sight, marvels at how her fingers can’t even wrap all the way around his wrist. She moves their hands slowly down her body until they reach between her legs. 

She lets out a moan and the sound of it rolls through him. 

“ _Anna_ ,” he breathes out. 

Her hand moves away from his, allowing him to explore on his own. She squeezes his bicep for encouragement as she moans again. 

“I couldn’t believe the sounds you made,” Kristoff tells her, “It drove me wild.”

“This,” Anna moves her hand to his cheek, and looks him in the eyes, “This is what drove me wild. This look on your face. So full of love and lust and-“

Her breath hitches and her eyes flutter close in response to a certain movement of his fingers. 

A deep chuckle leaves Kristoff’s chest, “I loved learning what you liked.” 

Her hand falls away from his face and begins to tug clumsily at the ties of his pants, “I knew I wanted you. I knew you were the only one I would ever want.” 

Kristoff removes his hand from her center to pull his pants down and off. Kisses her again as he shifts his position so that he’s over her, his legs in between hers. 

He pulls back from the kiss to look at her. Both their breaths are heavy as they stare at each other. Anna’s fingers lightly trail across the muscles of his chest as her eyes dance across his face. 

She really is the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. 

Kristoff lifts his hand and lets his fingertips trace across her forehead and down her cheek, along the bridge of her nose and around the swell of her lips. Anna smiles and hums at the touches. 

It seems impossible to him, utterly impossible that he could ever forget this face. 

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He looks down to line himself up and then looks back up at her. 

“Did it hurt?” 

“A-a bit. At first,” she places her hands on his shoulders, “but then it felt good.” 

He shakes his head, “I-I, I never meant to hurt you, Anna.”

“I know, Kristoff, I know you would never want to hurt me. In any way.”

“But, I did though, eventually,” the guilt comes flooding back to him, “We fought and I said things and I left and I hurt you and that's why-”

Anna kisses him to cut him off. They’re not going to talk about that now. They’re going to live in this moment. If this was their first time, and the memories are happening in reverse, that means...

Kristoff breaks the kiss, buries his face into her neck, and slowly begins to push into her. Anna gasps, her fingers digging into his shoulders. 

Once he’s fully inside her, he lifts his head to look down at her face. After a few breaths she gives him a nod and Kristoff begins to slowly roll his hips. 

“You were so gentle with me,” Anna’s voice is heavy, “You placed soft kisses all over my face. Do you remember?”

He kisses her forehead.

“You told me I was beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.” He kisses her cheek.

“You told me I felt amazing.”

“You feel amazing.” He kisses her nose.

“You told-,” she gasps and raises her hands up into his hair, “You told me you loved me.”

“I love you,” he kisses her other cheek and then down along her jawline, “I love you, Anna. I love you.”

“You told me you’d love me forever,” she closes her eyes.

“I will, Anna,” he kisses her eyelids, tasting the tears that have begun to spill out, “I promise you, I will love you forever.”

Neither of them notice as the cabin begins to break apart around them.


	7. Coming to the Beginning

Kristoff absentmindedly strums the strings of his lute as he sits and looks across the clearing towards the pond. They’re at their spot, by willows. 

He turns his attention to Anna who is busying herself unloading the contents of a picnic basket. 

“I remember you telling me all these plans and ideas that you had,” he says, placing the lute down beside him, “Things that you had thought about for years, that you wanted to do once the gates were open. And near the top of the list was-“

“A fancy picnic!” Anna declares triumphantly as she places down the last of the crystal glassware. 

“A fancy picnic,” he nods, taking in the elaborate set up that Anna has arranged on the blanket, “but-“

“But I forgot the food,” she laughs before letting out a sigh. 

Suddenly Kristoff is riding on the back of Sven, holding onto Anna as he navigates through snow drifts into the city market. He didn’t get any warning before the change in memory this time, he realizes. 

Sven comes to stop right in front of the castle gates. Kristoff hops down off his back, clutching Anna’s cold body close to his. The gates open, but the servants disappear before they even reach them. 

“I was so terrified in this moment,” he says, not putting her down this time, “That I would never see you again. That even if you ended up ok, that I would still never… That’s when I realized just how much I was in love with you.”

“Funny, how that happens,” Anna responds, her teeth chattering. 

They’re on the docks near the market now, his new sled in front of them. 

Kristoff lifts Anna off the ground and spins her around. He leans in to kiss her after placing her back down, but pauses just before their lips meet. 

“May I?”

Anna answers by grabbing onto his vest and pulling him in the rest of the way. 

“These last two, they weren't in the right order,” she remarks after pulling back from the kiss. 

“I noticed that,” Kristoff nods, “It keeps going mostly in reverse, but, it seems to be skipping around,” he brings a hand up to cup her face, “Still, we’re coming to the beginning now. There’s not much left.” 

Her face falls, “We still have time though, right? Time to find a way to fix this. To stop it.”

“I don’t,” Kristoff feels his voice breaking and tries to steady himself, “I don’t think we _can_ stop it, Anna.”

Anna leans her face into his hand as her eyes begin to water, “I’m so sorry, Kristoff. This is all my fault.”

“Shhhh, no more of that,” he says softly as he wipes at her tears with his thumb, “If we only have a small amount of time left to be together, then let’s just, be together, ok?”

She nods and tilts her face up to kiss him again. 

When they break away from the kiss they’re out on the frozen fjord. Snowflakes hang stationary in the air around them. Anna’s tears sit as crystals on her cheeks and her body is cold. 

“Do you think it would have worked?” Kristoff asks as he runs his fingers down the white hair of her braid. “If I had gotten to you sooner, do you think my kiss could have saved you?” 

The ships trapped in the ice begin to crack and crumble around them. 

He’s alone on the ice now, the wind and snow whipping around him. 

“Anna!” He calls out. He needs to find Anna. He needs to find her and kiss her and save her. 

He sees her now, frozen solid with her arm raised up. Elsa clinging to her, sobbing. He’s too late. 

How could he have let it happen? How could he have lived through seeing her like this and still let himself lose her again? 

The ice around him begins to break. 

He’s on the deck of a ship.

He turns his head to see Hans slowly getting to his feet. Kristoff squares his shoulders and begins stomping towards him. Anna goes to stop him, but he ignores her this time. The crack of his fist connecting with the piece of shit’s face is satisfying, even if Kristoff knows it isn’t real. 

Anna comes to stand next to him, giving him a small pat on the arm and an approving grin. 

The ship begins to break apart. 

“It’s happening faster now,” Kristoff tells her, “I can’t control it anymore.” 

“I know.”

They’re walking into the valley of the trolls. Her hair is streaked with white. 

“You were cold,” Kristoff says as he sees her shiver, “I wanted to put my arm around you, to pull you close and warm you up.”

“I wish you had.”

“I was too scared then,” but he does it now. 

Kristoff feels himself being turned around, and then before him stands Anna in the troll wedding garb. 

He takes a deep breath, “You’re so beautiful, Anna.”

“What would we have worn at our actual wedding?” Anna asks, walking towards him. 

“‘I would have worn whatever ridiculous outfit you picked out for me,” he closes the distance between them, taking her hands in his, “I would have worn anything if it meant that I got to marry you.”

She arches an eyebrow at him. “You would have still complained though.”

“Yeah,” he grins, “probably.”

They’re in the sleigh now, rushing through the dark forest.

“Eye color?”

“Dreamy.”

“Foot size?”

“Foot size doesn’t matter.”

“You still believe that?”

Anna laughs, “Well, I know now why you asked it.”

Kristoff lets the reins drop from his hands as he puts an arm around her, ignoring the sounds of wolves in the distance, “Guess I was being a bit inappropriate with you.”

“It’s ok,” she brushes his cheek with her mittened hand, “I was just making up answers then.”

The trees are disappearing around them. 

“I know the answers now. For the man who actually is my true love. Bjorgman. Carrots. Sven. Honey brown,” she leans in close, lips almost brushing his before she curls them into a grin, “Big.”

They’re walking through frozen willows. This was the first time that they were here, in this place that would eventually become _theirs_. Their secret retreat from the rest of the world. 

“You still believe in true love, then?” Kristoff asks her. 

“Don’t you?”

He bats at the frozen branches and listens to them jingle together. “I guess it’s just the phrase I take issue with. Makes it seem like it’s easy, or...automatic? And,” he moves closer to her, “falling in love with you _was_ easy. So, I assumed everything else would be easy too.”

“I guess we both did,” Anna says as his arms wrap around her. 

Kristoff is standing at the base of a cliff. He looks up and sees Elsa’s large snow monster disappear. He leans down to pull Anna out of the snow. 

Looking up at him she smiles, “This is a moment I thought about a lot. How strong you were to pull me out like that. How your hair looked.”

“ _My_ hair?” He grins, “I just fell off a cliff, you should see your hair.”

She giggles as a thick streak of white appears down one of her braids, “You looked handsome I mean. The way the snow hung in your hair.”

The cliff beside them begins to crumble and fall apart, large chunks of rock landing around them.

“This was the first time,” Anna continues on, ignoring it all, “The first time I thought of you in...that way.”

“Really?” He’s surprised. 

“I mean, I was attracted to you the moment I first saw you, but…”

Kristoff hears her yell, “Catch!” 

He turns in the direction of her voice and she lands in his arms. 

“Thanks, that was like-”

Kristoff cuts her off with a kiss, and then, “This was that moment for me. When I first thought of you in that way.”

“Really?” Anna scrunches up her nose, “You didn’t think I was crazy?”

“No, I _definitely_ thought you were crazy. I thought you were a nut, but you were exciting.”

“I love you,” she kisses him and the rock around them once again falls apart.

When the kiss breaks Kristoff is standing in front of Oaken’s. The snow and wind swirl around him as he makes his way inside. The bell of the door chimes and he slams it close behind him.

“Yoo hoo! Big summer blow out!” Anna calls out to him, Oaken having already disappeared. 

He pulls his scarf down from his face and walks in her direction, “Were you really attracted to me when you first saw me here?”

Anna blushes as she clasps her hands together in front of her, “I didn’t really want to admit it to myself at the time, but-“ 

Kristoff leans over her as he did that night, but this time resting his hands against the counter on either side of her body. 

“Yes,” she breathes, “you were…just such a _man_.”

He brushes the tip of his nose against hers, “Your man.”

A bag of carrots is coming towards his head, but Kristoff is expecting it this time and catches it midair. 

“I really didn’t mean to hit you in the face that night,” Anna says a smile. 

“I deserved it though,” he tosses the bag to the side, “I was a real jerk to you in this moment.”

“I know it wasn’t personal,” she says as she comes to lay next to him on the pile of hay. 

“But it’s something I’ve always regretted,” Kristoff puts his arm around her, “That I wasn’t kinder to you when I first met you.”

“You made it up to me eventually.”

“Did I?” 

Him and Anna walk hand in hand up the stairs to Elsa’s ice palace and pass through the tall doorway together. Kristoff looks up and around at the foyer, admiring just how gorgeous it all is. Cracks begin to form in the ice as the memory starts to break apart. But, this time it feels different. He feels himself fading as well. Like energy draining out of him. 

“This is the last one,” he turns to look at her, “this is it.”

“I love you, Kristoff.”

“I love you too, Anna. With all that I am.”

Anna places her hands on his chest, “We can find each other again. Can’t we?” 

“I don’t know.” he says, honestly. Even if their paths crossed again, as strangers in the market maybe, how could he ever hope to catch the eye or win the heart of a princess again? 

Kristoff removes his mittens so he can properly touch her, hold her face in his hands. 

“No, we can, I know we can” she grips onto the fabric of his clothes, “We _will_.”

A wall of the palace gives way, exposing them to the wind and snow. 

“Tomorrow morning, when you wake up from this, meet me at our spot ok?” She has a determination in her eyes and a desperation in her voice, “Meet me by the willows. Promise me, Kristoff, promise me that you’ll meet me.”

He nods as he brushes his thumb across her cheek, “I promise, Anna. I promise.”

Kristoff knows he won’t remember the promise in the morning when he wakes. And he doesn’t like to make promises to her that he can’t keep. But if this will give her some small comfort right now, after all the ways that he’s failed her, then it’s what he’ll do. 

A large block of ice crashes down next to them. 

There are no more words left for them to say to each other. All he can do now is kiss her, so he does. Kristoff wraps his arms around her tight, pressing her as close to his body as he can, willing her to stay. Anna grabs tightly to his clothes, clinging to him like a life raft. 

A series of images flash through his mind as he kisses her. 

Them walking hand in hand through the city. Her arms thrown around his neck as he returns from harvesting. Side splitting laughter as the five of them play charades. Swimming in the pond at their spot. Laying out in the wildflowers with her head on his chest. Sisters holding hands on Christmas. Strumming his lute as she sits at his feet. Dancing at a ball. Chasing her through the branches of the willows. Auburn hair between his fingers. Freckled skin under his palms. Aqua blue eyes. Her smile. 

The floor beneath their feet gives out. 

They fall.


	8. For The First Time

“You said balcony,” Kristoff noted with some amusement, coming to stand beside Anna in front of what was clearly just a large windowsill.

“I may have over sold it,” she said sheepishly, as they sat and swung their legs out the window.

“No, you didn’t over sell it. This is amazing,” he reassured her. They had teased each other a bit over these last two days, and she had seemed to enjoy playing along, but he was still nervous about going too far and hurting her feelings.

Kristoff smiled as he looked out the window. It _was_ an amazing view. He could see not only the stars but all of the city lights. He could also see right down into the market. He stared with some amazement at the exact spot he normally parked his wagon to sell his haul of ice. 

_How strange_ , he thought, _that all this time, Anna was right here._

Kristoff felt something brush against his pinkie and looked down to see Anna’s hand resting against his. He raised his eyes up to see that she was looking right at him. She had an expression on her face that seemed both nervous and hopeful. 

It kept catching him off guard, just how beautiful she was. But she was also funny and ridiculous and _kind_. And she was sitting here with him and touching his hand like that and _looking_ at him like that and, _oh god_ , all he wanted to do was kiss her. 

He chanced a quick glance down to her lips. 

“Anna, may I-,”

He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Anna? Are you in there?” A woman’s voice asked from the other side. 

“Who is that?” Kristoff whispered.

“My sister,” Anna said as she moved to step back into the room.

“Your sis-,” Kristoff felt panic rising in him, “the queen?” He gasped, as he almost lost his balance but then over corrected and ended up tumbling back onto the floor of her room.

“Anna?” The queen called again from the hall, “I’m sorry for how I reacted this morning. Can we talk?”

Kristoff got back up on his feet, “I can’t be here,” he hissed

“It’s just my sister, it’s fine,” Anna tried to reassure him.

“I’m in your bedroom! She’ll throw me in the dungeon or something,” he felt his shoulders hunch as he stared over at the door with fear.

“You missed dinner,” the queen continued, “So, I brought you a tray of food.”

“She’s not going to throw you in the dungeon,” Anna chuckled as she began to move towards her door.

“Anna,” the queen sighed, “I hear you in there. I’m coming in.”

The door knob turned.

“I really just want to talk,” the queen said as she maneuvered the door open. She was looking down, holding the tray of food with one end balanced on her forearm in order to have a free hand for the door. Once she had the tray righted in both hands she looked up at Anna with a smile.

But then the queen’s gaze quickly moved to him, her eyes going wide.

The tray hit the floor with a loud crash, plate and glass breaking.

_“Kristoff?”_

Anna had gasped at the sound of the tray hitting the floor and had begun to rush forward towards the queen, but then stopped and looked at her confused, “Wait, how do you know his name?” 

The queen ignored Anna’s question, keeping her attention on him instead. 

“Why are you here?” 

_Shit shit shit._ Kristoff knew being in Anna’s bedroom was a bad idea. He had to find a way to salvage this. 

“Y-your highness,” he awkwardly bowed, “I mean, your majesty.”

“Kristoff, why are you acting like...,” Her eyes narrowed, scanning his face. 

He shifted uncomfortably under her glare. Tried to remember just how high up the window they had been sitting in was and if he would survive if he jumped out of it right now. 

“Kristoff. You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t,” the queen started walking straight towards him with her arm outstretched. 

Kristoff’s eyes widened at the sight. The queen, she wielded magic, he knew. 

“Nothing happened, I swear!” Kristoff took a step back and flinched in fear, “Please, don’t!”

The queen stopped then, placing a hand to her chest and looking stricken. 

Anna looked back and forth between the two of them, “Elsa, what is going on?”

The queen didn’t respond, just continued to stare at him. 

“I should, I should go,” Kristoff managed to stammer out as he began to move towards the door, “I’m sorry.”

“Kristoff,” Anna looked at him worried, “you don’t have to go.”

“I’m sorry, I just… I’m sorry.”

And with that he turned and hurried out the door. He ran down the hallway and side stairs, thankfully remembering the way they had come, and out into the courtyard. 

“Kristoff?” 

He spun around at the sound of his name only to come face to face with a castle guard. 

_Shit. Shitshitshit._

“I already told you,” the guard was giving him a sympathetic look, “you can’t be on the grounds.”

_What?_

Kristoff’s head was swimming and all he could manage was a mumbled _sorry_ before running off in the direction of the side door that Anna had led him in through. He hopped up on Sven, who was still waiting outside the door, and they took off for home as fast as they could go. 

When he got back to his cabin, Kristoff slammed the door closed behind him before leaning back on it, trying to steady his breathing. 

_What just happened?_

His eyes landed on the chest at the foot of his bed and he felt his stomach drop. Rushing over, he threw open the lid and began to dig through it until he found what he was looking for. He sat back on the ground with a thud.

Kristoff clutched the expensive looking clothes tight in his hands, willing them to make sense. 

~  
~~  
~

Anna bit down on her lip as she knocked on Elsa’s door the next morning. She hadn’t gotten much sleep that night. The small amount of information that she had been able to get Elsa to reluctantly tell her had weighed heavy on her mind. 

Three years. Her and Kristoff had been together for three years. And then they… She shook her head. It was hard to believe, but she knew she had to face this. 

“Come in,” Elsa called from within and Anna entered her room. 

“How are you?” Elsa asked with a sad look on her face. 

“Ok, I guess, considering,” Anna cleared her throat, “I have decided that it’s not fair for me to ask you to try to give me every detail of… everything. Especially if this was something that you say was my choice. But, I do have three questions.”

“Of course,” Elsa said, motioning over to her bed. Anna sat down next to her and then took a moment to collect her thoughts. 

“Is he,” Anna hesitated for a moment, “I know I’ve been a bad judge of character in the past. So, I just need to know. Is he a good man? Or-“

“He is,” Elsa cut her off, “he is a great man.”

“So, Mom and Dad, they would have liked him?” 

“Yes, Anna,” Elsa took her hand, “Mom and Dad would have loved him. Just as…” she trailed off, squeezing Anna's hand tighter. 

Anna felt her heart sink. Why didn’t these answers make her feel better? 

“Your third question?” Elsa offered, hesitantly. 

“Do you know where he lives?”

~

Anna stared at the cabin, having tied her horse’s reins to a nearby tree. It was small and simple with a barn next to it and a grassy field full of wildflowers beyond that. She tried to will herself to remember anything about this place. She would have been here before, surely. How many times had she stood in this exact spot? Or laid out in that field? Or spent the night?

Anna took a deep breath and readied herself to go knock on his door. She went to take a step forward and was startled by the barn door opening instead. 

Kristoff was leading Sven out by his harness, but froze when he saw Anna. She gave him a small wave. His eyes were wide and it took him a moment before he returned the gesture. 

“Just, uh, hold on,” he pushed Sven back into the barn and closed the door. As he walked over to her Anna could see that he had a bundle tucked under his arm. 

“Hi,” Kristoff said as he reached her.

“Hi,” she responded.

The happy-nervous energy she had felt the day before when they greeted each other was gone, replaced instead with trepidation. 

“I think we need to talk,” she said. 

“Yes, I, uh,” he pointed back over his shoulder in the direction of the barn, “that’s what I was going to do. But um, you can come inside? If you want.”

Anna nodded and followed him into the cabin. As she entered she could see that the entirety of the interior was a single room. Near the door there was a kitchen area and a rough wood table with two mismatched chairs. There was a fireplace, some chests and cabinets, and against the far wall, a small bed. She stared at it for a moment before blushing and looking down at her feet. 

They stood there awkwardly for some time. She didn’t know if she should talk first or even what to say. Things had been so easy with Kristoff the last to two days, and it felt great. But this? She hated the way this felt. 

“I’m sorry I ran off like that,” he said, “It was rude, I know, I just got…”

“Freaked out?” Anna offered, looking up at him. 

“Yeah,” he responded with a laugh, but Anna could still see a nervous hunch in his shoulders. 

“Yeah, me too.”

“How did you know where to find me?” He asked, fiddling with the tie that wrapped the bundle he was still holding. 

“My sister, she-,” Anna began, but stopped, unsure how to even finish the sentence. But Kristoff nodded as if he understood. 

“Your sister, last night. She was talking to me like she _knew_ me,” he said, letting the words hang like a question. 

“Yes, right, well,” Anna steadied herself, knowing that she needed to just _say_ it, “She told me that, you and I, that we know each other. Or that, we _knew_ each other. And we um,” she clenched her hands together, “for three years, we were...together?” 

“Th-three,” Kristoff suttered over the word and Anna could see him grow a bit paler, “ _three_ years?”

Anna nodded.

“Why don’t we remember?”

She winced. He was going to think she was insane when she tried to explain this part. 

Anna took a deep breath and began to speak quickly, “Well, she told me that, um, apparently, we got rid of our memories of each other. But not, got rid of them ourselves, obviously, people can’t just _do_ that. But, you see, there are these trolls. These magic trolls. And I know that sounds crazy, the whole magical trolls thing, but I swear it real, and-“

“I know the trolls,” he interrupted, “they, uh, kind of raised me.”

“Oh,” she said quietly. 

Anna realized then, just how little they actually knew about each other. 

“I-I need to show you something,” Kristoff took the bundle that he had been holding and gently placed it on the table in between them. He opened it up before stepping away and scratching at the back of his neck. There, on the table in a heap, were a set of men’s dress clothes. 

“The day we met, after I got home, I, well, I found these clothes. I didn’t know what to make of them. I’d never seen them before. But, they look like they could fit me.”

Anna felt her hands begin to tremble as she reached out and took hold of one piece, a vest. The gold buttons had the crest of Arendelle on them and the color of the silk fabric was a beautiful sapphire blue. 

“Do you recognize these clothes?” Kristoff asked her. 

“Not these, exactly, but,” her hands gripped the fabric tighter as she felt her eyes begin to sting, “it matches my dress.”

“Your, what?” He looked at what she was wearing, confused. 

“No, not-,” she shook her head but kept her eyes on the vest, too afraid to look up at him, “There was a ball. A week ago. My dress, it was this _exact_ color.” 

Anna knew, of course, she already knew. But standing there, holding the actual evidence in her hands, it felt different somehow. She felt like she was about to be sick.

“I-I, I’m sorry,” she stammered, “I have to go.”

Anna quickly turned and left, dropping the vest onto the floor. 

“Anna, wait,” Kristoff called after her, following her out the door. 

She crossed her arms in front of her body as she continued to walk away, fighting with herself not to cry. 

“Anna, please,” Kristoff said, a growing desperation in his voice, “just wait, please!”

She did stop, finally, unable to bear how sad he sounded. Turning around, her heart clenched to see the fear in his face. 

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before taking a few strides to close the distance between them and coming to stand directly in front of her. 

“Anna, I have something else I need to show you,” his face was so close to hers, but he was looking down at the ground instead of at her, “Last night when I got back here, I remembered about how I had found those clothes so I started looking. Looking everywhere to try to find something, _anything_ , to make it make sense and, and, I found something else.”

Kristoff slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He held it up between their bodies, gripping it tight in both hands, before finally looking her in the eyes. 

“Please tell me you’re not about to propose,” she huffed out. 

“No,” he matched her nervous laugh, “but, Anna,” a seriousness returned to his voice as he opened the box, “ _look_ at it.”

Anna sucked in a breath at the sight. Inside was a ring with small clear diamonds around the sides and a large orange diamond in the center. 

“Look at it,” he repeated, reaching up and brushing some of her auburn hair back behind her ear and then letting his hand come to rest on her cheek, “It was made for you, Anna.”

She looked back up at him, “How do you know?”

“I mean, I don’t _know_. But,” his eyes searched hers, “I’ve never been more sure of something in my life.”

She brought her hands up and placed them on his chest. She wondered if he could feel how they were trembling.

“And Anna, if I had this, that means it was real,” his voice was shaky, but Anna could hear the resolve in it, “It means whatever it was that existed between us before…it means that it was _real_. That we loved each other.”

Kristoff closed the box and put it back in his pocket so he could bring his other hand up to her face. 

“I know this...situation is strange and scary. But, we found each other again. We both went to the same random spot in the middle of nowhere on the same day. That has to _mean_ something, Anna. And you told me yesterday that you’re,” he hesitated slightly and his voice got quieter, “that you’re feeling the same thing that I’m feeling. That has to _mean_ something too, right?”

“But, what does it mean that I don’t have that ring on my finger right now?” Anna’s hands tightened into fists, gathering up the fabric of his shirt, “What does it mean that we, we made a choice to erase each other?”

“I think it means that we made a mistake,” Kristoff brushed his thumb lightly back and forth across her cheek, “Maybe a couple of mistakes.” 

Anna closed her eyes as she lost her fight to stop herself from crying, “How do you know we won’t make the same mistakes again? We don’t even know what they were.”

“I don’t know. And I can’t promise that everything will be easy, but, hey, Anna,” she opened her eyes at the sound of her name, “Remember what I said yesterday? About things that are hard?” 

Anna pressed her face further into one of his palms and nodded. 

_It is the hardest part_ , he had told her, when she had asked about the harvesting, _but that’s exactly why I like it best._

“This _is_ strange and scary and,” she choked out, feeling his thumbs wiping away her tears as she worked to gain back her composure, “I like you so much Kristoff. I do. And, I want to try. I think you’re right and I think we owe it to ourselves to give this a try.” 

Kristoff smiled at her then, wide and bright, and let out a nervous breath she didn’t realize he had been holding in. The way his head was tilted down to look at her caused his hair to flop forward, almost into his eyes. But she could still see them, see the look in them as they danced across her face and the way they crinkled slightly at the corners as he smiled. The butterflies were back, this time accompanied by a warm feeling that spread through her chest. 

Anna felt as if she was jumping off a cliff, not knowing what lay at the bottom. But, Kristoff was jumping with her. 

They stood there for a long moment, her hands on his chest and his holding her face. 

“Anna,” he said eventually, his voice no more than a whisper, “may I kiss you?”

“Yes,” she smiled and nodded, “you may.” 

And then Kristoff leaned in and kissed her, for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Blessed are the forgetful; for they get the better even of their blunders”
> 
> I wanted to thank everyone who has read this story of mine and left kudos and comments. As my first venture into something like this, it’s all been very encouraging and heart warming. 
> 
> If you’ve never seen the original movie, I would highly recommend it. It’s a beautiful story on how love is something that we have to both take a chance on and fight for. 
> 
> While the Anna and Kristoff that existed in the erasing memories believed that they had failed to stop it, the fact that they tried - that they fought to try to keep their love - is what disrupted the process enough for them to be able to plant the idea of going to the willows in their future selves minds. And then the Anna and Kristoff who had their memories erased needed to take a chance, take a risk, that they could do things better the second time around. 
> 
> As you may have noticed, I have increased the chapter count from 8 to 9. This is where I had originally envisioned ending things as a way to keep the story structure the same as the movie. But! This is fan fiction, so I can do whatever I want. And what I want is to write a cute epilogue, so that’ll be chapter 9. 
> 
> As a reminder, there is a playlist for this fic which can be found here:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0SZX5tKfALPZ7aZABZQ8UE?si=TBKmUw9HRoW0_NRM1tcxxA


	9. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it wasn’t clear, the main story takes place in July, exactly three years after the events of Frozen 1. This epilogue picks up a few months later, starting after the (slightly different) events of Frozen 2.

**October**

Anna held tightly onto his hand as they walked silently through the halls of the castle. They had only just arrived back in Arendelle and it was late. Kristoff’s whole body was tired and he knew he still had to trek all the way up to his cabin before he’d finally be able to sleep, but he was in no rush to leave. It had been a long journey home, and a long and dangerous adventure before that. But she was safe and home now, so Kristoff was going to keep holding her hand until she was ready to say goodnight. 

Anna led him into her bedroom and closed the door behind them before wrapping herself up in his arms. She probably felt even more tired than he did, he realized. So, he held her. Just as he held her back in the cave after Olaf disappeared before their eyes and they thought Elsa was lost. But this time there were no horrible sobs wracking her body. Just quiet, steady breathing. 

“Thank you for coming,” Anna said eventually, her face still tucked against his chest, “I know it ended up being...a lot.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” he rubbed a hand up and down her back. 

She was quiet for another minute before, “I’m going to be queen.”

He knew, of course. He was still learning about all this royal stuff, but he knew enough to know that if Elsa was abdicating, Anna would be next in line. But, this was the first time the words had actually been said out loud between them. 

“I-I know that isn’t what you signed up for,” Anna continued, “And that it’s only been three months. So, if it’s too much for you, I won’t, I mean, I’ll under-“

“Hey, hey, hey, Anna,” he took her face in his hand and tilted it up so he could look at her, “I’m not going anywhere, ok?”

She searched his eyes, “Are you sure?”

He shrugged, “Princess. Queen. Same difference.”

Anna let out a small laugh, “It’s quite a bit different, actually.”

“Not to me,” Kristoff said quietly, “you’re still you, no matter what. And, I love you, Anna. I love you and I’m not going anywhere.”

Her eyes widened, “You do?”

“Yes,” he smiled, “I do, and I have for a while now and-“

“Oh Kristoff,” Anna wrapped her arms around his neck, “I love you, too!”

He took a deep breath before hugging her back and burying his face into her hair. Anna loves him. She’s here and she’s safe and she’s in his arms and she loves him.

Anna pulled back to look up at him, but then he saw her bright smile begin to fade as she bit down on her lip the way she always did when she was nervous. 

“What is it?” He asked. 

“Kristoff, would you,” she paused, thought for a moment, “would you mind staying here, staying with me tonight? Not to, not for, I just,” she tripped over her words, blushing, “I just don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course,” he said brushing some of her hair back behind her ear, “whatever you need.”

~

Later that night, as Anna was fast asleep in his arms, Kristoff stared off into the darkness. He was still immensely tired, but his thoughts were keeping him from finding sleep. Thoughts about how her becoming queen might affect this thing that was still so new between them. About the miracle of them finding each other again. About the fear he felt when he almost lost her at the dam. About the joy of knowing she loved him too. And about how desperate he was to not make the same mistakes that had been made before. 

~

Without a need for the traditional mourning period, the formal coronation was held later that month. That night the ballroom was filled with foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, dukes, and princes. But for her first dance as queen, Anna chose an ice harvester as her partner. 

~  
~~~  
~

**December**

“Let the holidays begin!” She declared, arms outstretched, to the courtyard full of citizens. They erupted in cheers and applause and Anna beamed with pride. This was the first year Anna got to ring the Yule Bell as queen, and the excitement filled her with warmth. Anna loved Christmas. The decorations and the happiness and the _food_. And, best of all, Elsa was back at the castle for a few days. 

The two of them were shaking hands and saying goodbyes to the last of the citizens as they streamed out of the courtyard when she heard Kristoff’s voice behind her. 

“Um, guys?”

Anna turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of him. He was in the same fine clothes she had forced him into that morning, but over his shoulders hung a moss cape and in his hands he was holding his lute. 

“If it’s ok, I’d like to share my favorite holiday troll tradition,” he said with a slightly bashful smile. 

“Of course!” Anna clasped her hands together. 

“Great,” he said, his face lighting up. “It starts with a gathering song: The Ballad of Flemmingrad.”

Kristoff then strummed his lute and began to sing,

_“Every December we all gather round,  
To pay our respects to a troll so renowned,”_

Anna knew she probably had a big goofy smile on her face, but she couldn’t help it. She always loved it when he played his lute and sang for her.

_“In remembrance of the friend we had,  
A jolly old soul we called Flemmingrad,”_

Sven appeared then, pulling a small platform that carried something which was covered by an old tarp.

_“We all dig deep down,  
And we uproot the past,”_

Elsa cut in at that moment and sang, “We shove up its nostrils a fistful of grass.”

“Nostrils?” Anna looked over at her sister. Those couldn’t possibly be the lyrics, could they?

She turned to Kristoff to see him wide eyed in surprise, before realization dawned across his face. 

“Riiiight,” he scratched at the back of his neck, “I guess you’ve heard the song before.”

Elsa nodded. 

“And we’ve probably licked the statue’s forehead together, too,” Kristoff said as he pulled back the tarp to reveal a statue of a big fat troll, covered in grass, moss, and mushrooms. 

“Woah, gross,” Anna said with some amusement. 

“No, _we_ ,” Elsa motioned between herself and Anna, “did not lick the statue.”

“Ah, right,” Kristoff’s shoulders sank a bit, “Not exactly a royal activity. I suppose no Flemmy stew either?”

“Actually,” Elsa smiled, “I really like the Flemmy stew.”

His eyes lit up, “You do?” 

“Yes,” Elsa laughed, “I didn’t think I would the first time, but it’s delicious.”

“That’s fantastic!” Kristoff rushed forward and wrapped Elsa up in a big bear hug. She was startled at first, but sank into it, smiling and giving him a few pats on the arm. When he pulled back, he held onto Elsa’s shoulders for a moment, beaming. 

He hurried off towards the stables then, with Sven following along behind him, saying how he needed to get started on it right away and how much Anna was going to _love_ it. 

“Thank you for humoring him,” Anna said with a laugh once he was gone, taking Elsa’s hand in hers. 

“I wasn’t humoring him,” Elsa glanced in the direction that Kristoff had run off in, “I meant it. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a bowl of Flemmy stew.” 

Elsa turned back to Anna and squeezed her hand tighter, “Have you thought about what we talked about? About my offer?”

_Water has memory._

“Yes, right. I have. And Kristoff and I talked about it and,” Anna shook her head, “Even if you did show us everything, just seeing it wouldn’t make us actually remember any of it. It would be like, like seeing someone else’s life. Like, reading a story out of one of the books up in the library. Except, one that doesn’t have a happy ending. We decided, we want to write our own story, not try to imitate whatever happened before.”

“Ok,” Elsa nodded.

“But, thank you,” Anna added, an old guilt rising up in her, “And, I’m sorry. And… thank you.”

“I know, it’s ok,” Elsa smiled, “Come on, let’s go make sure Olaf hasn’t eaten everything already.”

Anna smiled as she hooked her arm in her sister’s as they began to walk back into the castle, “So, tell me, what _exactly_ is in Flemmy stew?”

“Nope,” Elsa laughed, “you said you didn’t want to know anything.”

“Oh, come _ON!_ ”

~  
~~  
~

**February**

A snowball came whizzing by his head, but Kristoff ducked out of its way just in time.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” he teased. 

Anna pouted, “You’re too fast.”

Kristoff laughed as he turned around to bend down and gather up some snow in his mittens. 

_“Ow!”_

He whipped around at the sound of Anna’s cry. His heart sank at the sight of her, sitting on the ground holding her ankle with a look of pain on her face. 

“What happened?’ He said rushing over and kneeling beside her.

“I fell,” she winced.

Kristoff put his arm around her shoulder, “Does it hurt?”

Anna nodded. 

“Here, let me carry you back,” He went to put his other arm under her knees in order to pick her up, when suddenly she pounced on him. Having been taken completely off guard, Kristoff was knocked back into the snow, landing with an _oof_. 

Anna was on top of him then, gathering up a handful of snow and mushing it into his face. He sputtered and pushed her away as she cackled with laughter. 

“You dirty cheat!” he laughed as he brushed the snow off his face. 

“Oh come on, don’t be such a sore loser,” Anna stood up and grinned down at him. 

“Now you get to see,” Kristoff said, standing up as well.

“Now I get to see what?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. 

“Now you get to see what it’s like when I don’t hold back.”

Anna’s face dropped. 

It was Kristoff’s turn to grin as he bent down and began to form a snowball.

Anna shrieked as she turned and ran. 

~

“Oh, darn it,” Anna said as an earring fell from her hands and rolled under her bed. She was already all buttoned up and strapped into her ballgown so it was going to be impossible for her to bend down and get it. 

“Kristoff, I need your help.”

“Hmm?” Kristoff hummed, not fully paying attention. He was over on the other side of the room, looking in the mirror and fidgeting with his buttons. 

“My earring rolled under the bed.” 

“Oh, sure,” he said coming over and getting down on the ground to look for it for her. 

“Got it,” he said, and then, “what’s this?” 

When he stood up he was holding both her earring and a blue winter hat. 

“Looks like one of yours,” she said taking her earring back and fixing it in place, “must have got kicked under the bed by accident.”

Kristoff studied it, turning it over in his hands, “I don’t remember losing one.”

“Well, if it’s not one that you’ll miss,” Anna grinned and snatched it out of his hands, “I think I’ll just keep it for myself. Yours are much warmer than mine anyway.”

“I don’t think it goes with the dress,” he said with a smile as he placed his hands on her waist and a kiss on her neck, “You look beautiful by the way.”

“Compliment me all you want,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist, “you’re not getting the hat back.”

Kristoff laughed as he leaned in to kiss her again. 

~

Anna’s eyes blinked open as the early morning light began to peek in around the edges of her curtains. She knew it was going to be another cold day, but she was warm where she lay with two large arms wrapped around her and Kristoff’s broad chest pressed up against her back. 

She slowly and carefully rotated herself within his hold so that she was facing him. He was asleep, the features of his face soft and still. 

He had slept next to her every night since their return from the enchanted forest. Just...slept, of course. But he had been here ever since that first night she asked him to stay. She didn’t even have to ask him again, Kristoff just seemed to know that she needed it. And so, everynight through the cold of the autumn and winter, he had been holding her close and falling asleep beside her. 

But, she knew it wouldn’t be long until spring arrived. And with it warmer weather and the beginning of ice harvesting season. 

Anna slowly raised her hand and began to lightly touch his face, gentle enough as to not wake him. She brushed back his hair and then let her fingers trace across his forehead and down his cheek, along the bridge of his nose and around his lips and chin.

She knew she could never ask him to stop harvesting. She knew how important it was to him. She knew that each trip would only be a few days and then he would be right back in her arms. But she also knew just how empty her bed would feel without him in it. 

~  
~~  
~

**April**

On the morning that he heads off to harvest, he’ll need to leave from his cabin before first light. Anna knows this. It’s not a preference, it’s a safety thing. It’s what’ll give him the most daylight hours to work. Kristoff has talked about it in the past. Like when he told her about how he picked the location for his cabin. How it gave him quick access to the best routes up into the mountains. 

So, she knew that she’d have to say her goodbyes to him today, the day _before_ his first trip of the season. Knowing it didn’t make it any easier though. Just the thought of it made Anna snuggle closer to Kristoff in the bed when they woke up, planting kisses all around his face and wrapping her arms around him. 

“All this extra attention,” he hummed, his voice still thick with sleep, “how’d I get this lucky?”

“Well, this will be the last morning I get to wake up next to you for a little while, so I’m just trying to make the most of it,” she said, trying to make her voice sound casual, instead of needy or clingy. 

Kristoff stiffened slightly at her words, “Oh.”

Anna pulled back and looked up at him, “You're going up to your cabin today, right? So you can leave from there first thing tomorrow?”

“Yeah, you’re right, I am. It’s just, um, I was wondering if, well I was hoping,” Kristoff began to run his fingers through her hair as he avoided eye contact, “that maybe you’d come with me? To the cabin. Sleep there tonight and then see me off in the morning?”

Anna’s eyes widened, “Really?”

“I know the cabin isn’t as nice as the castle. It’s not as warm at night and my bed isn’t as big. But, I,” he shrugged, “I don’t want to have to say goodbye to you before I hav-“

Anna cut him off with a kiss. 

~

The bed in his cabin was a tighter fit then she was used to, but she liked how closely they needed to snuggle together. Their noses were nearly touching as they laid side by side facing each other. They were supposed to be going to sleep now, but instead they were just looking at each other in the dark. Just quietly staring from across the same pillow.

“I’m going to miss you,” Kristoff said eventually. 

“I’m going to miss you, too,” Anna responded a bit too quickly, bringing a hand up to rest against his chest.

“I’ll come see you straight away, as soon as I get back. I promise.”

Anna nodded. 

Then they were silent again. Her heart ached at the thought of how much she was going to miss him. She didn’t know how she was going to get any sleep at all. She felt wired, on edge. Like a strange energy was coursing through her body. She wondered if Kristoff was feeling the same way. 

She began to move her hand back forth where she had it resting against his chest. And then slowly up and over the curve of his shoulder. Then down along his arm, and up it again. She wanted to commit as much of him to memory as she could. 

She felt one of his hands begin to move as well, up and down her side, following the curve of her waist and hip. His touch sent an electric feeling through her body and she closed her eyes to take in the sensation. 

Anna shifted along the pillow, resting her forehead against his. She felt his breath on her face. Could feel her own breath quickening. When she pulled back and opened her eyes she was struck by the look on Kristoff’s face. It was love, but mixed with something different, something new. Something she was feeling too. 

She moved closer to him, pressing the full length of her body against his.

“Anna,” he breathed out before she pressed her mouth to his. Soft at first, but then she wanted more. And everytime she went to deepen the kiss, he returned with even more hunger. They had kissed so many times before, but never like this. Never with this heat and want. 

Her hands began to move erratically, grabbing at his body and pulling at his clothes. Not knowing exactly where to go but knowing she wanted to touch as much of him as she possibly could. And his hands were doing the same, roaming everywhere and fisting at the fabric of her nightgown. 

Kristoff pulled back slightly from their kissing, his breathing heavy, “What do you want, Anna?

“You.”

Her fingers tangled in his hair as he rolled her over onto her back. 

~

The next morning, the sky was just starting to lighten with pinks and purples as they stood outside his cabin and said their goodbyes. Anna wrapped her arms around his neck, told him that she loved him and asked him to be safe. Kristoff kissed her on her forehead, told her that he loved her too and promised that he would be. 

She stood and watched him until he disappeared around a distant bend in the road before saddling up onto her horse and returning to the castle. 

~

Anna was sitting in her study, reading over various _boring_ papers, when there was a knock at the door. 

“Come in,” she called with the small bit of energy she was able to muster. She heard the door open, but no further sound. 

When she looked up she saw Kristoff standing in the doorway and her heart leapt. She jumped up from her seat and ran to him, “You’re back!”

He smiled as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss

“Just got back into the city,” he said after pulling back, “I only have enough time for a quick hello. I need to get back down there and sell the ice before it melts.”

“You came up to see me before you even went to the market?”

“Of course,” Kristoff said, looking at her as if she were crazy to ask, “I promised you I would come see you straight away.”

His face was in need of a shave — and the rest of him was in need of a bath — but Anna reached up on her tiptoes to give him another kiss. 

~  
~~  
~

**June**

Kristoff scratched roughly at his hair. He was frustrated. And angry. She wasn’t making any sense. She wasn’t listening to what he was saying. She wasn’t appreciating the effort that he was putting in. 

Anna let out a huff and crossed her arms. 

“You know what?” Kristoff sighed and threw his hands up in the air, “Nevermind,” and he quickly turned and left, slamming the door of her room closed behind him. 

He stomped down the hallway, seething. They’d had arguments before, sure. But not like this. They had never fought like this before. 

The thought stopped him in his tracks. 

Because they probably had, hadn’t they? Did he walk away then too? 

Kristoff ran a hand across his face, thinking back to that day, that summer morning that they stood outside his cabin and held each other and decided to give this a try. Anna had cried as she talked about her fears of making the same mistakes again. He had convinced her, practically begged her, to give them a chance. To give _him_ a chance. And here he was, walking away from her?

He turned and hurried back to her room. 

Anna had been sitting on the bed crying, but she stood as soon as he entered the room. The sight of it gave him a crushing feeling in his chest. Had he really just almost left her here like this? 

Kristoff crossed the distance between them without a word and put his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. She was still for a moment before relaxing into his embrace and wrapping her arms around him as well. 

“I thought you left,” she said 

“I did, I was going to, but,” he rubbed a hand up and down her back, “it felt like a mistake.”

“I’m still mad at you,” she told him, her words slightly muffled with her face pressed against his chest. 

“Ok,” Kristoff pulled back slightly to look down at her, “So let’s talk about.”

Anna nodded. 

~  
~~  
~

**August**

They were at their spot, near the willows. It was a hot day. Nearly as hot as the day they had first met, right here, a little over a year ago. Kristoff wiped the sweat off his brow as he dug through the contents of his satchel. 

He heard a splash from behind him and he turned to look over his shoulder. A moment later Anna’s head emerged from under the surface of the water, her hair wet and clinging to the side of her face. 

“Did you fall in?” Kristoff laughed as he stood and began to walk over to the pond.

“Nope,” she grinned, “I jumped.”

“You jumped?” He cocked an eyebrow, “Into the pond? With all of your clothes on?”

“Nope,” she grinned even wider, before bringing herself further out of the water and revealing her bare shoulders.

Kristoff’s mouth dropped as he finally noticed the pile of her clothes near the edge of the pond. Then he nearly tripped and fell trying to get his clothes off as fast as possible before diving into the water after her. 

~  
~~  
~

**October**

Anna was busy and Kristoff still had some time before he needed to start getting ready. So, he did what had started to become a habit of his, and walked the halls of the castle. After some time, he found himself standing in front of a portrait of the late Queen Iduna. 

No one looking at this portrait would ever be able to guess that she had grown up not within castle walls, but surrounded by nature and among reindeer herders. As far away from royal life as you could get. She seemed like such a natural at it though, the perfect queen consort. At least from the portraits he could see and the stories Anna would tell. 

_How had she done it?_

It wasn’t the first time that he wished he could have had the chance to ask her. 

Kristoff felt the temperature of the air around him drop, causing him to smile. 

“I didn’t know you were here already,” he said over his shoulder. 

“Just arrived,” Elsa responded, coming to stand next to him, “I imagine tonight will be the first time a prior monarch will be in attendance for their successor’s anniversary ball.”

“Oh, don’t be too sure,” he laughed, “Olaf is convinced this place is haunted.”

Elsa smiled before turning to look up at the portrait of her mother, “I caught you deep in thought.”

“Yes,” he said, turning to look back up at it as well, “I was thinking about how much your mother looks here like she was born to be a queen.”

“She wasn’t though.”

“I know. She wasn’t even a royal,” he said with some amazement, “she was…”

“Like you?” Elsa offered. 

Kristoff scratched at the back of his neck, “I didn’t mean, that wasn’t what-“

He looked back at Elsa -- and the expression on her face -- and sighed. She always had a way of seeing right through him. 

“Yeah,” he admitted. 

She smiled and looked back up at the portrait. 

But Kristoff kept looking at her. He wrung his hands together before glancing up and down the hall. 

“Elsa,” he began, “there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Kristoff,” she reached out and took his hand, “you don’t need my blessing. But if it’s something that you want, you have it. You’ve had it for longer than you know.”

Kristoff squeezed her hand, “Thank you.”

Elsa squeezed his hand in return before dropping it, “Now, I’m going to go find Anna. And I think you need to go get ready,” she gestured at what he was wearing. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he said with a roll of his eyes as he began to walk away, “I don’t need two ladies on me about that.”

“Apparently you do,” she called after him, causing him to laugh. 

~

Anna leaned on Kristoff as they made their way up to their bedroom after the ball. 

“My feet are killing me,” she whined as they stepped into the room and Kristoff closed the door behind them. Anna sat on the edge of the bed and flopped backwards, “But I don’t even have the energy to take off my shoes.”

Kristoff chuckled, coming to kneel in front of her, “I can take care of that for you, your majesty.” 

“Thank you, my love,” she smiled and closed her eyes as she felt him begin to undo the tiny buckles on her shoes, “you excited about tomorrow?”

“I am,” he said, moving onto her other shoe, “it’s going to be a bit chilly, but it should be nice enough for a walk to our spot.”

Anna hummed approvingly. 

It was one of their agreements. Anytime Kristoff had to wear an outfit that he called “ridiculous” -- despite the fact that she thought he looked quite handsome in them -- and mingle amongst fancy and titled people, it would immediately be followed by two days and a night up at the cabin. No queenly duties or responsibilities, just the two of them alone in the mountains. 

Anna at times felt guilty that she was getting the better end of the deal, since she loved both the fancy events at the castle and the quiet days up at the cabin. But she couldn’t help but notice how Kristoff’s moods at these types of things had improved since it’s been in place. As if the knowledge of what the next two days would bring was enough to carry him through the night. That, and the secret hand single they had come up with for whenever he needed rescuing from a conversation. 

She noticed then that even though both of her shoes were now off, Kristoff hadn’t stood up yet. 

Anna propped herself up on her elbows and looked down to see him still kneeling in front of her, shrugging out of his formal jacket and undoing his top buttons. 

She arched an eyebrow at him, “What are you doing?” 

“Just getting comfortable,” he lifted one of her legs and placed a small kiss on the inside of her ankle while maintaining eye contact. 

“I’m a bit tired, Kristoff.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed against her skin as he continued to kiss up her leg, “you don’t have to do anything.”

Anna sat up and roughly ran her hands through his hair, freeing it from how it had been slicked back. She then took two handfuls of it and pulled, forcing him to tilt his head back and look up at her. 

“Do you know how much I love you?”

“I think I have an idea,” Kristoff answered, rubbing his thumbs in circles along the insides of her thighs, “Do you want me to show you how much I love you?”

Anna kissed him before reclining back on her elbows with a smile. 

~

Anna's arms were wrapped around his middle and her head rested on his chest as they stood side by side in the middle of the clearing. It was too cold this time of year for a picnic, but whenever they were up at the cabin they always made a point of coming here. Their spot. 

Kristoff ran his hand up and down her arm, feeling his nerves start to rise up. He wanted to get this right. 

“Come here,” he took her hand and began walking her over to one side of the clearing, “I want us to stand in the exact spot where we met.”

Anna went with him initially but then resisted his pull, “But, it was over this way,” she motioned towards the pond. 

“What? No it wasn’t. It was over here. You had just come through the branches with your horse.”

“Yes, but we actually introduced ourselves to each other over _here_. Besides you were a jerk over there, you were nice to me over here.”

“Ok, ok,” Kristoff let out a sigh and allowed Anna to pull him along to the spot next to the pond where they had first sat and talked. 

“Riiii-,” Anna looked down at the ground and shifted their position over a few steps, “-iiight here. Ok, so,” she looked up at him expectantly, “why did you want to stand here?”

Kristoff took a deep breath before sinking down onto one knee. 

Anna’s eyes widened in shock as she brought a hand up to her mouth. 

“Anna,” he began, “You are the most extraordinary person I have ever met. I am so incredibly blessed that I found you,” he felt his hands shaking as he pulled the ring from his pocket, “I love you so much and I can’t imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” She shouted as she launched herself at him. 

Kristoff caught her with both hands and stood, lifting her off the ground. She let a happy squeal as he twirled her around, before placing her back down on her feet and kissing her. 

She gave him a big, teary eyed smile before resting her head against his chest as he slipped the ring onto her finger. 

_Yes. She said yes._ Kristoff knew she would, hoped she would. But it was real now. He pulled her tighter against his chest. 

“I forgot how beautiful this ring is,” Anna sighed as she wiggled her fingers, letting the orange diamond sparkle in the sunlight, “It’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah, I guess he did one thing right.” 

“I’m sure he did more than one thing right,” Anna jokingly swatted at him. 

“Maybe so.”

_He had him beat here though_ , Kristoff thought as he tightened his hold around Anna and rested his cheek against the top of her head, _when it came to this most important thing, he had him beat._


End file.
